Burnley schoolboy raises £1,000 with his own t-shirt designs to thank staff at Rosemere Cancer Centre for helping his grandad to beat cancer

When his grandad was diagnosed with mouth cancer this time last year, seven-year-old Burnley schoolboy Elliott Hesketh responded by getting shirty, quite literally.
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Clarets fan Elliott, a year four pupil at Brunshaw Primary School, began designing and making his own range of tie-dye t-shirts to sell to raise funds for charity Rosemere Cancer Foundation as a thank you to the doctors and nurses looking after his grandad Steven Merrifield, of Padiham.

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The t-shirts proved so popular that Elliott, accompanied by Steven, who is now well and back in full-time work, was able to visit the charity’s office at Rosemere Cancer Centre to present its fundraising team with the £1,000 sales had raised. And of course, both were wearing one of the budding fashion entrepreneur’s creations.

Elliott Hesketh raised £1,000 by designing and selling his own t shirts, to thank staff at the Rosemere Cancer Centre who helped his grandad Steven Merrifield to get better.Elliott Hesketh raised £1,000 by designing and selling his own t shirts, to thank staff at the Rosemere Cancer Centre who helped his grandad Steven Merrifield to get better.
Elliott Hesketh raised £1,000 by designing and selling his own t shirts, to thank staff at the Rosemere Cancer Centre who helped his grandad Steven Merrifield to get better.
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Lisa Merrifield, Steven’s daughter, said: “Dad and Elliott have a very close bond. They love spending time together going on adventures. Dad originally thought he had an abscess and went to his dentist. The dentist referred him to the Royal Blackburn Hospital and just three days before last Christmas, he was told he had cancer.

“He underwent surgery and was then referred to Rosemere Cancer Centre for radiotherapy. The care and support dad has received has been second to none. The staff at Rosemere Cancer Centre were brilliant. Dad smashed every target and we are all so proud of him. We are also so proud of Elliott, who came up with the t-shirt idea by himself and worked so hard to keep up with demand for his designs, which far exceeded anything we imagined.”

Elliott, who also enjoys swimming, trampolining and gaming, said: “My grandad is 100 per cent legend - it says so on the t-shirt I made for him and he’s proved it by doing everything he could to get better.”

Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria being treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre, which is Lancashire and South Cumbria’s specialist cancer treatment and radiotherapy centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, and also at another eight local hospital cancer units across the two counties, including those at Burnley General Teaching and the Royal Blackburn Hospitals.

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