A teenager from Batley has raised more than £1,000 for The Sick Children's Trust's Eckersley House 'Home from Home' at Leeds Children’s Hospital after the charity supported her family during the devastating loss of her baby nephew, Oscar.
Lacey Knowles, a 17-year-old student at Pivot Academy in Huddersfield, organised a fundraising raffle and secured dozens of prizes from local businesses, family and friends, raising £1,042 to help families with seriously ill children stay close to hospital.
Lacey's fundraising success comes as she celebrates another significant achievement. She recently passed her English exams, with her fundraising project forming part of her schoolwork. Her determination and hard work have earned praise from both her family and staff at Pivot Academy.
For Lacey, the fundraiser was deeply personal. In 2023, her brother Joe’s newborn baby son Oscar became critically ill shortly after birth due to a rare genetic disorder called ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTC). The condition affects the body's ability to remove ammonia from the bloodstream, being so rare that many healthcare professionals never encounter a case during their careers.
Just hours after he was born, Oscar was transferred from Calderdale Hospital in Halifax to intensive care at Leeds Children’s Hospital. Despite the efforts of specialist medical teams, he died aged just 15 days.
During that heartbreaking time, Oscar's parents stayed at Eckersley House, The Sick Children's Trust's 'Home from Home' located just minutes from the hospital, allowing them to remain close to their son throughout his treatment.
Lacey and Joe’s mum Leanne Knowles, Oscar’s grandma, said the support provided by Eckersley House made an immeasurable difference to the family.
"Without Eckersley House, Joe would have been travelling back and forth every day," said Leanne. "Instead, he had the opportunity to stay close to Oscar throughout those precious days. It meant he could be there whenever he was needed and spend as much time as possible with his little boy.
"It was such an awful time for our family, but knowing Joe had somewhere safe and comfortable to stay near the hospital took away one worry. What The Sick Children's Trust does is absolutely amazing."
Leanne said Oscar's memory was the driving force behind Lacey's fundraising efforts.
"Lacey adored Oscar," she said. "She was there with him right until the end and wanted to do something positive in his memory. When she decided she wanted to raise money, we talked about the charities that had supported the family and she immediately agreed that Eckersley House was where the money should go. She said that without the house, Joe wouldn't have been able to spend that precious time with Oscar. Joe is incredibly proud of her, and so are all of us."
The fundraising effort became a true community project, with relatives, friends and local businesses donating prizes for a raffle that featured around 30 different items, including vouchers, hampers and experiences.
Leanne added: "The whole family rallied around Lacey. Everyone wanted to help because we all know what Eckersley House meant to Joe, keeping him close to Oscar. To raise more than £1,000 is incredible."
Throughout the fundraising project, staff at Pivot Academy were a constant source of support as Lacey worked towards her English qualification, helping her channel her passion for Oscar's memory into a meaningful piece of work.
"The school is so proud of her," said Leanne. "Lacey has worked incredibly hard. Passing her English exams is a massive achievement and this fundraising project has helped show what she can do when she's given the right support and encouragement. Something positive has come from such a tragic situation, and that's all down to Lacey's determination."
Amber Liaqat, Lacey’s English teacher who helped organise her scheme of work through the Pivot Outreach Programme (POP), said: "At POP, we try to engage our learners through a personalised curriculum, such as English through a topic or an enterprise they feel passionate about. This way, they give back to the community through wonderful charities like The Sick Children's Trust and gain a qualification. We are so proud of Lacey - her resilience and hard work is so inspiring."
Lacey is due to start college in September and hopes to continue supporting causes close to her heart in the future.
Her fundraising will help The Sick Children's Trust continue providing a free ‘Home from Home’ for families with seriously ill children receiving treatment in hospital, ensuring they can stay together when it matters most.
"People don't always realise how important these 'Homes from Home' are until they need them," said Leanne. "We certainly didn't. But when your child or grandchild is seriously ill, being able to stay close by means everything. We're so grateful that Eckersley House was there for our family."
The Sick Children’s Trust has 10 ‘Homes from Home’ in England, three of which are in Yorkshire. In addition to Eckersley House in Leeds, Magnolia House and Treetop House support families at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Since 1993, the Yorkshire homes have supported more than 25,500 families.
Yorkshire’s fourth ‘Home from Home’ will open at Bradford Royal Infirmary in 2027 and will support 500 families with a premature or seriously ill baby on the neonatal intensive care unit every year. The project has been made possible thanks to a partnership between The Sick Children’s Trust and Bradford Hospitals Charity.
To find out more about the new ‘Home from Home’ in Bradford, please visit sickchildrenstrust.org/bradfordappeal.
