Community rallies round to help cancer patient mum take her children on a dream holiday

Happier times: Steven Overton and Helen McCran with their children Toby and Gracie.

Helen McCran, 33 wants to take her chidren Toby 8 and Gracie 2 on a trip to Florida to scatter the ashes of their dad Steven Overton, who died of cancer in February.

Six weeks later Helen’s own father John McCran, 62 passed away - and in a heartbreaking twist of fate Helen herself has now been diagnosed with secondary cancer.

Helen’s friend Tanya Hill is spearheading a fundraising campaign to help the family take their trip to the resort where they spent their favourite family holidays.

In just two days she raised almost £800 on a justgiving page - and now she is looking for sponsors for her 10k run at Clumber Park on October 17.

Tanya said: “ I am raising funds to help give two young children a mini-break after the heartbreak of losing their dad to cancer, their mum being diagnosed with secondary cancer followed shortly after by their granddad also dying of cancer.

“I am taking part in a 10k race being held at Clumber Park on the 17th October 2015 and would dearly love to raise as much as I can to help these poor children have a small amount of normality if only for a few days.

“The generosity of people who have donated so far has blown me away.

“I never thought we would raise so much in such a short time. We started off with a target of £500 but we are well past that now.”

Tanya, 28 a pensions assistant for the NHS said: “I started going to the gym after my boy was born to get back in shape and found that I loved running which gave me the idea to do the 10k run.

Visit her justgiving page on

https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/tanya-hill-2