• Twilight walk gives young fundraisers and families opportunity to support NHS Manchester hospitals
• Registration includes free lantern, worry pouch and compass for every child taking part courtesy of event sponsors Happy Linen and Illumina
• Parents of 14-month-old Frankie Crowther, who was treated for super rare condition at RMCH, one of many families taking part to say thank you

On Saturday 9 November, families are invited to experience Manchester’s Heaton Park in a new light with Manchester Foundation Trust Charity’s sponsored Lantern Walk.

The family friendly event will take place on Saturday November 9, 2-6pm, with families walking around North Manchester’s Heaton Park, to help fundraise for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s family of hospitals. As the evening draws in, children can light their way with a free lantern, creating a twinkling light spectacle.

Taking part in this year’s Lantern Walk to say thank you to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH) – part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) – are the parents of Francesca “Frankie” Crowther, Bethany and Jordan. 14-month-old Frankie was diagnosed in the womb with bladder exstrophy, a rare condition that affects roughly 1 in 40,000 children.

The condition is the result of the pelvis not fusing properly in utero, causing the bladder to grow outside the body. RMCH is home to one of only two specialist teams in the UK able to treat and manage the condition.

For the first nine months of Frankie’s life, prior to her operation, her parents had to care for her bladder by placing special dressings between her bladder and her nappies as well as keeping a close eye on the skin around her bladder and treating any signs of irritation immediately.

In April of this year Bethany and Jordan were given the call to say it was time for Frankie to have her bladder closure surgery. The plan for the surgery was for her bladder to be put back inside her abdomen, have her ureters reimplanted, have the middle part of her pelvis fused back together and be given a belly button.

The surgery took a total of 11 hours and was followed by a four week stay in RMCH, first in the High Dependency Unit and then Ward 77. For the majority of her stay, Frankie had to lay completely flat with a frame around her hips and a bandage holding the bottom part of her legs together. This meant her parents were unable to pick up, cuddle or play with Frankie for most of her time in hospital and it made eating and drinking tricky too.

After four weeks Frankie finally got to go home, with her parents in constant contact with the Clinical Nurse Specialist and regular consultant trips over to RMCH from their home in Leeds. Frankie will be under the team for the rest of her childhood and will then be transferred over to an adult team.

Bethany says: “Day-to-day, Frankie’s condition means life looks slightly different for her than for most 14-month-olds, including regular intermittent catheters and medication to decrease her risk of contracting UTIs. However, she doesn’t let any of this phase her and she is a real wild child, always on the go and making everyone she meets laugh and smile!

“We are so grateful to RMCH for the exceptional care they have and continue to show us as a family, and we know so much of what they are able to do is thanks to the support of the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity. This November we are taking part in the MFT Lantern Walk to raise money for RMCH and the amazing work they do for children and families like ours.”

As part of the Lantern Walk, families can choose one of two carefully curated, fully accessible routes around the park (two and five kilometres), with registered participants receiving a free lantern, worry pouch and compass courtesy of event sponsors Happy Linen and Illumina. Spotter sheets will also be available for children to interact with their surroundings along the route, taking in the sights, smells and sounds of the park.

Free family entertainment at the event will include The Night Creatures band, stilt walkers and young Manchester musician Jacey-Mae. Food and drink stalls will also be available, with prizes for the best fundraisers. Registration starts from £6.

Bethany’s fundraising can be followed on her JustGiving page.

To sign up to Lantern Walk visit: www.mftcharity.org.uk/events/lantern-walk/

Viv Williamson, Events Manager at Manchester Foundation Trust Charity says:

“The Lantern Walk is one of our favourite times of the year and it’s a lovely opportunity for the whole family to come together in the name of fundraising and experience Heaton Park as the seasons change. It’s always such a magical moment seeing the lanterns twinkling through the trees as the sun goes down.

This year’s event is better than ever with added goodies for everyone taking part and some great fundraising prizes from our fantastic sponsors. We’re extremely grateful to everyone that has signed up to fundraise for us and it’s lovely to see so many families involved that want to say thank you for the tremendous care they’ve received from our family of hospitals. There’s still plenty of time to sign up and we’d encourage everyone to come along and fundraise for a great cause.”

Amar Gangani, Managing Director of Happy Linen says:

“We’re delighted to be coming on board as event sponsors once again for this year’s Lantern Walk. The family-friendly event is such a fun and lively day, we’re looking forward to being back at Heaton Park and seeing all of the twinkling lanterns and happy faces of event participants.

“Our wonderful NHS hospitals achieve incredible things on a daily basis. We feel honoured to be supporting Manchester Foundation Trust Charity.”

Mark Robinson, VP and GM, UK & Ireland and Northern Europe, Illumina, said:

“Illumina is proud to be one of the sponsors for this year’s Lantern Walk event. This unique event is just one of the ways that our team here in the UK is giving back to communities in which we live and work, while at the same time having a lot of fun!”