Gala night will help transform young lives

Nine-year-old Florrie Bark isn’t afraid to ask tough questions, as she demonstrated on the red carpet at the recent Pride of Britain Awards, where even the Prime Minister came under scrutiny.

Now, though, the most important question goes out to local businesses to ask whether they want to join in a black- tie gala dinner next year in aid of the charity that was set up to help Florrie and children like her, who have cancer or who have recovered from it.

The dinner will be held at Holiday Inn Corby on March 26 in aid of Bemorefab Children’s Cancer Charity, a charity set up by Florrie’s family, and will feature comedian and TV presenter Joel Dommett, Britain’s Got Talent magicians Jay and Joss, and Northamptonshire pianist Lincoln Noel.

Bemorefab CCC supports children whose lives have been affected by cancer, mainly by providing online education for those who can’t attend school, or when they need to catch up on work missed through illness.

Florrie’s father, Andrew Bark, said: “Florrie was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2022 and, after a long period of treatment, she finally returned home cancer-free. Although she was well enough to be out of hospital, she wasn’t yet ready to go back to school. That’s when we realised there was a real need to provide education for children in this situation.

“I was Head of Academy of a primary school, so it was natural to set up a charity that could help make sure children got support with their education, while at the same time helping them restore their self-confidence and get back to some form of reality.

“Undergoing cancer treatment and the recovery period can take a very long time and for children it’s a lot of education to miss out on, as well as missing out on the fun things that the rest of their friends are enjoying.

“And the effects go on much longer than the treatment itself. Florrie is cancer-free but the treatment damaged her lungs and she’s on a waiting list for a lung transplant as soon as one becomes available for her. To help children like her keep up with the studies as much as they can is invaluable.”

The charity also organises events for the siblings of children who have been affected by cancer, and also goes into schools to speak to the classmates of sick children to try to help them understand more about how cancer affects lives and answer any questions they might have.

Bemorefab CCC, which is based in the Bark family’s home town of Corby, but supports children across the country, has around 100 children and around 50 siblings registered and delivers anything from regular tuition sessions to ad hoc lessons organised around treatment and when the children are feeling well enough. In order to continue to grow as an organisation and meet the needs of as many children as possible, the charity relies on donations, and on organising successful events like the one planned for March.