THE Bradley Lowery Foundation is aiming to raise a record-breaking amount with its annual Cancer Has No Colours fundraiser to mark five years since the youngster passed away.

To commemorate Bradley’s ‘angelversary’, the charity takes a week to encourage schools and businesses to wear football shirts for a day and make a small donation, beginning July 7.

The annual celebration of Bradley’s life was inspired by people from across the country wearing their team colours to mark his funeral in 2017.

The charity has carried on this tradition, raising approximately £9 million for poorly children.

This year, one of the children supported by the initiative will be five-year-old Sophia Shaw from County Durham, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2020 after complaining about severe headaches.

After receiving aggressive treatment in Germany, her parents are now pursuing other therapies, including vitamin C infusions, in the UK with the help of the foundation.

The charity is also being supported by students from East Durham Collage in Peterlee, who will be wearing their football shirts in July to raise funds and awareness.

Lynn Murphy, chief operating officer of The Bradley Lowery Foundation, said “Every year, generous people across the UK join us in remembering Brad by wearing their football shirts to work or school.

“This year will be five years since he went with the angels, so we hope it’s going to be the biggest and best year for fundraising, and that more people than ever will join in.

“The foundation provides an essential service to children and adults who need financial and emotional support to receive treatments which aren’t available on the NHS. We hope that more people than ever will get their shirts on and support us, regardless of their team.”

Tracey Shaw, Sophia’s mum, said: “It’s moral support as well as the funding. It’s really easy to feel alone and completely adrift.

"To have people there who know exactly what you’re going through to help both financially and emotionally is amazing. We don’t know where else we’d get that support.”

The Bradley Lowery Foundation was established in August 2017 after Bradley Lowery lost his fight to Neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer.

Cancer Has No Colours runs from July 7 to 14. For more information, contact contact@bradleyloweryfoundation.co.uk.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054