Mission Firefly: Our £25,000 campaign backs Doncaster cancer charity which also offers holiday lodges

We want to raise the whopping sum for Firefly Cancer Awareness and Support, well known across Doncaster for its fleet of vehicles and drivers which whizz cancer patients across the city to their appointments free of charge.

More than £7,500 has already poured in for our Mission Firefly campaign to fund a new vehicle – but did you know the organisation also offers holiday lodges for patients?

Daisy’s Dream Firefly Lodge was first announced in 2017 and a year later, the charity purchased The Wanderers Retreat.

Situated at Country Meadows Holiday Park in Skegness, the lodges are 6-berth, 3-bedroom open plan holiday homes.

Situated in the calm Country Meadows, there is always the option of a short trip to Ingoldmells – a lively nearby holiday village situated on the coast for an upbeat day out.

The lodges have been a long time in the making, helping in the effort to bring a place of rest, relaxation and tranquillity for cancer patients before, during and after their treatment.

A spokesman said: “Firefly are delighted to be able to offer patients a space to relax as part of their treatment. We know how difficult a time it can be, and how important recovery is, which is why we provide patients with a calming space where they can have the chance to recover.”

Unfortunately, pets cannot be accepted to the lodge due to patients undergoing treatment. The whole lodge and decking area has a strictly no smoking policy.

Bookings are taken on a first come first serve basis and organisers ask for a small donation, starting from £300 per week.

And Firefly is happy to provide transport to and from Skegness for those without the means to travel.

For more details, you can enquire HERE

We are counting on you, our readers, to dig deep and support the organisation which provides vital transport for cancer patients across Doncaster and beyond with our Mission Firefly campaign.

Founded in 2006 by the late Denise Dunn following her own cancer battle, the Firefly Express provides FREE transport to local cancer patients and their families across the city to regional treatment centres using a team of volunteer drivers.

But delivering such a vital service doesn’t come cheap – and that’ why we are calling on you, our readers, to back our fantastic fundraising campaign.

We want to raise a whopping £25,000 so Firefly can purchase a new, second hand vehicle to add or a replace a vehicle in its fleet and keep its much-needed and essential service running.

Drivers work hard – and the vehicles work even harder, clocking up thousands of miles each year, zipping patients and their families across the region for treatment.

The project, now in the hands of Denise’s partner Ian Bacchus and friend Paul Taylor following her death in 2014, is determined to keep its fleet of vehicles running – and our campaign aims to boost their service even more.

Ian, known as Chewy, said: “The Firefly Express vehicles provide free transport to local cancer patients and their families in the borough of Doncaster to regional treatment hospitals, using our fantastic team of volunteer drivers.

"We currently have a fleet of 12 vehicles to cope with the ever-increasing requirements.

"Firefly help local people in their time of need, making a difficult time a little easier.

“Firefly is about life – living it to the full, and enjoying every second of it.

"We want to remove the stigma and embarrassment of personal cancer problems in young men and women, giving them the confidence to communicate with friends, family and health professionals should the occasion arise.”

He added: “Using our personal experiences, we are determined to change the journey for cancer patients while raising awareness, particularly amongst young people, to spot the signs before it advances.”

We want to raise enough cash so Firefly can purchase a new or replacement seven seat vehicle to keep the trips up and running, with the vehicle fleet doing as much as 6,000 miles a week.

A huge team of 70 volunteer drivers can carry as many as 80 patients a day – and a dedicated maintenance team make sure the vehicles are kept in tip top shape. Trips from Doncaster head to treatment centres in Sheffield such as Weston Park, The Royal Hallamshire and Northern General – with drivers whisking patients from their doors straight to the hospital, before returning them home afterwards.

For more information about Firefly and all the great work they do, visit https://www.firefly-support.co.uk/

And supporting our Firefly Free Press Fundraising Campaign is simple.

All you have to do is scan in the QR code to make your donation and get the ball rolling on our campaign to buy a new vehicle for Firefly.

So get scanning, get donating and do your bit to help support our campaign and a fantastic Doncaster charity.