A Wallington family have donated Lego sets to The Royal Marsden Hospital in memory of their late son.

Jane and John Carpenter, and their daughter Charlotte, visited the Olayan Day Care Unit at The Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton on July 15, which would’ve been James’ 24th birthday.

James passed away in September 2022 aged 22, following complications related to a cancerous brain tumour.

Jane, a teaching assistant at a local special needs school, said: “James loved Lego and would always ask for the latest sets for his birthday.

“In his memory, we are continuing to donate Lego to children, teens and adults going through cancer treatment.

“We want to continue sharing James’ story and his love of Lego for as long as we can”.

Jane and Charlotte, a patisserie chef, marked the occasion by donating Lego sets for children and adults, as well as baking hundreds of cakes to gift to staff and patients at The Royal Marsden.

The Carpenter’s charity, James’ Box of Smiles, was created in memory of James.

James’ Box of Smiles was initially created to donate Lego sets to local children’s wards, including the Oak Centre for Children and Young People at The Royal Marsden.

However, the Carpenters soon realised that the sets could bring joy to adult patients too.

The family have now donated over 700 Lego sets, with the hope that they can bring joy and distraction to patients undergoing treatment.

The Olayan Day Care Unit, which delivers daycare, chemotherapy and other supportive treatments, is part of the Oak Cancer Centre, a state-of-the-art treatment and research facility which opened in June 2023.

The Centre was supported by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity’s £70 million Oak Cancer Centre Appeal, which was its largest fundraising appeal to date.