A twelve-year old girl has raised a grand total of £16,000 for four charities. The girl, namely Sophie Ryan-Palmer, with the help of mum Debbie Ryan, organised a fundraising event at St. Richard’s Church in Hanworth. Over 150 people attended ‘Super Sophie’s Charity Night’ on the 23rd February, from 7:30pm to 11pm.

The money raised will be divided between four charities: Children with Cancer, Anthony Nolan Trust, Rays of Sunshine and Charley Paige Trust. Sophie herself was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) 10 years ago, aged two. She was told that the cancer was cured in 2006, but unfortunately it returned just before Sophie’s sixth birthday. After treatment in 2007, she recovered again. In 2011, the cancer returned yet again, and since then Sophie has had a bone marrow transplant – and is planning to have another one soon.

On the night, Sophie gave a speech to the guests, performed a dance with friends and had her hair shaved off by hairdressers from the House of Stewart salon in Sunbury. The £16,000 was raised through cake sales, raffles, a silent auction, an online donations and sponsors page, and other fundraising events held at the Bishop Wand School in Sunbury – the school which she attends.

After the event, Sophie returned to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), for chemotherapy treatment. She also spent her 12th birthday, on the 11th February, at the hospital. Since she started to suffer from leukaemia, Sophie had adopted the motto ‘happy happy happy, fun fun fun – always smile!’ This was reinforced by a new addition to the family: Happy the dog.

Her mum Debbie Ryan said, ‘I am so proud of her, knowing what a battle she has ahead of her and whatever I can do to help with the fundraising I will do.’ She described her daughter as an ‘inspiration to a lot of children’. After running the Race for Life in 2008, she raised £7,000 for charity.

Sophie described the event as a ‘brilliant fantastic night which made my dream come true’. She was ‘speechless that all these people had turned up’, for her. ‘It was quite nice when I arrived in the pink limo with my friends and everyone was clapping as I walked in. I felt so special in my pretty dress and tiara. A big thank you to the universe in helping me to help these charities.’