Wirral boy with rare form of cancer thrilled by dream Lapland experience thanks to the Poundland Foundation

A young boy suffering from a rare form of cancer has enjoyed a dream trip to Lapland thanks to the Poundland Foundation and the kindness of Poundland shoppers.

William McElroy, aged 10, was among 45 families who flew to Santa’s home between Wednesday 27th December and Saturday 30th December 2023.

The £162,000 needed for the trip was raised through the Poundland Foundation, working with national charity Make-A-Wish® UK.

His delighted mum, Sarah, from Wirral, said:

“The wish was just out of this world! It was a once in a lifetime experience.

“To think that on 28th December we were in a sleigh being pulled by reindeer and four years ago we were awaiting a life-saving liver transplant in Birmingham children’s hospital just blew my mind.

“Thank you to the Poundland Foundation and Make-A-Wish from the bottom of my heart.

William lives with hepatoblastoma, a rare form of liver cancer. Taken away from childhood activities, he has spent a lot of time in hospital, undergoing months of operations.

Sarah said:

“Myself and other oncology mums often say to each other that people don’t understand the domino effect of a child with cancer. The ripple it has on your relationship with your other children and partner.

“I’m so beyond grateful my child is well but it’s not an easy ride and he will have challenges for the rest of his life.

“A lot of the time we thought that he wasn’t going to make it. But going to Lapland, a trip that William has always wanted to do, has taken some of the stress away from his and his family’s lives.

“He couldn’t wait to see all the snow and huskies! Having a break from all the worry was amazing for me as his mum and spending that time together as a family was unimaginable. We’re so thankful!

The trip was made possible thanks to shoppers supporting good causes through Poundland’s Pennies scheme, where they make digital donations at till points in all Poundland stores.

This is the first example of the Poundland Foundation choosing to fund this kind of project.

It takes just under seven hours of micro-donations made by Poundland shoppers to fund one family to go to Lapland.

The Poundland Foundation works to make futures brighter across the UK through its national and local grant programmes.