Woman from Burgess Hill hits £160,000 milestone after years of raising funds for cancer charities with mum

Bobbie Lamden, 44, raised most of the money over the past 15 years with her mother Della, who passed away in 2020.

Since then, Bobbie has continued fundraising in her mother’s honour.

A lot of the funds have been given to Macmillan Cancer Support and its Horizon Centre in Brighton, which helps people affected by cancer across Sussex with practical, financial and emotional support.

Bobbie said: “The Macmillan Horizon Centre is just a beautiful place to go for people that have been affected by it.”

She said: “It’s going to make such a difference to so many people’s lives. But it’s not just about the money, it’s about the awareness as well. We’ve helped people just maybe check their boobs or check their testicles or just go home and think about it.”

Bobbie explained that the other charities she and her mum have supported are CoppaFeel!, the UK’s only youth-focused breast cancer awareness charity, and Ovarian Cancer Action.

She said: “CoppaFeel! is a brilliant charity raising awareness in young people who think that they’re not going to get cancer at that age. But actually women do and so do men.”

Bobbie added that she feels ‘overwhelmed and overjoyed’ thinking about the amount of money she and her mum have raised for these groups over the years.

Della was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 41 in 2005 and then secondary cancer in her lung two years later. Bobbie said she and her mum started raising money for cancer charities a few years after the initial diagnosis with help from a family friend.

She said: “We needed the help of Macmillan Cancer Support and my mum wanted to give back.”

She continued: “She found out about Macmillan’s Horizon Centre, which needed to be funded and built to help support cancer patients and their families. It needed funding to get off the ground and that’s why she started the first charity ball.”

Bobbie explained that the Splash of Green Ball is a glitzy event where attendees can raise money while having fun. She said: “That was mum’s biggest passion about it. She wanted everyone to get glammed up and just have a fun night raising money and raising awareness.”

The ball happens at different times during the year but is always held at The Grand Hotel in Brighton. Bobbie said the hotel has been ‘phenomenal’ with its support. She also thanked The Blunter Brothers band, saying these musicians have supported every event.

In 2017, Della was diagnosed with breast cancer, which was linked to the BRCA1 gene, but she kept holding these charity balls and raising money during her treatment.

Bobbie said: “She managed to complete five before she passed away. She’d already set up the sixth, which we were hoping to hold in March 2020.”

But this event was delayed due to the Covid pandemic and Della passed away before it took place. The event was eventually held in Della’s memory.

Bobbie said: “This one (the seventh) is the first one we’ve done without her, which was the one done in October.”

Macmillan confirmed that the seventh Splash of Green Ball raised £19,400 for Macmillan and CoppaFeel.

Bobbie also told the Middy that she carries the same BRCA1 gene as her mother and chose to have a preventative double mastectomy. She said: “It was the right thing to do. It took a massive weight off my shoulders.”

She said she is now thinking about having a preventative full hysterectomy as well.

Bobbie said she is ‘so proud’ of her mother’s fundraising achievements and said Della ‘always had a smile on her face’.

She said: “Even when she was going through the worst herself she was still looking after others and that’s a really special quality to have.”

Becky Turner-Knowles, Relationship Fundraising Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “Bobbie continues to be an outstanding supporter of Macmillan, and the impact of her fundraising over the years has been remarkable.

“The funds she has raised help us provide vital support to people living with cancer across Sussex and beyond, including through services at the Macmillan Horizon Centre in Brighton, as well as our Support Line, website and Online Community. Support like this is especially important during the winter months, when many people affected by cancer can feel particularly isolated.

“We’re so thankful to Bobbie, Della and everyone who has supported their fundraising. Their generosity ensures we can continue doing whatever it takes to help everyone with cancer get the best care the UK has to offer, whoever and wherever they are.”