The Wirral and surrounding communities have come together in a time of need for the Bennet children, Luke, 21, Hannah, 18 and Oliver, 13 who lost both of their parents to cancer in the same week.
Mike Bennet, a self-employed cabinet maker, was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2013 and had been nursed at home by his wife and the children. Then suddenly Julie Bennet, who was a primary schoolteacher at Somerville school in Wallasey, Wirral, was diagnosed with liver and kidney cancer in May 2016.
Family friend Heather Heaton Gallagher said: “Words cannot express our desperate sadness for such a beautiful family. The Bennets are known to all for their generosity, their love for life, and their down-to-earth approach. Facing a double terminal cancer diagnosis is beyond belief and as a community we are working hard to support the family so that they can stay together and ensure that they can continue their education as planned. We are setting up a trust for them with the support of a local solicitors and we have offers of help with the funeral costs from a charity in Manchester but any help for this wonderful family will make a real difference to their lives.”
Close family friend, Claire Knight, created a just giving page for the children with the aim of raising £50,000 however as soon as local businesses and the media heard of the story, that soon doubled, then tripled. So far £275,145 has been raised by 11,943 supporters -an outstanding and life changing amount.
The Bennet children left a note on the page before their mother passed, “Hi all, This is Luke, Hannah and Oliver. We just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated and sent their support in this difficult time; we really appreciate it and would like everyone to know that our mum takes a great amount of comfort from knowing that we are being supported so well by friends, family and kind-hearted strangers. Thank you again x”
If you wish to donate to the family to support them in a difficult time and help change the rest of their lives please click here.
