Devoted Black Country mum gets recognition for sunflower seeds fundraising for cancer

Andrea Childs from Kingswinford has been invited to a ceremony at Birmingham University's Great Hall on June 23 after being nominated by a friend for the West Midlands Lieutenancy's 50forWM50 campaign.

The campaign was launched to mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of the West Midlands and the Lieutenancy and saw nominations made for people who have helped their communities in any of the seven local authority areas of the region.

A judging panel has since selected 350 people, 50 from each local authority area, to attend the "Big Thank You Bash" in Birmingham, with Andrea Childs being selected for her work with Beth's Sunflowers, a fundraising organisation she set up following the death of her daughter from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in 2018.

She said she found out on an email and had been shocked to find out she'd been nominated and shortlisted.

She said: "I'm humbled, honoured and very shocked and I've spoken to Andy Mulaney, who nominated me, and thanked him for nominating me, to which he said I deserved it as I did so much and never got any recognition.

"I'm going with a few other people from the area who has been shortlisted, such as Rose Cook Monk, who does so much for the Poppy Appeal, so it's really special to be invited to an event like that with lots of other local people."

Ms Childs has been working since her daughter's death in 2018 to create a legacy for her daughter Beth, who she described as beautiful, with a massive personality, with Beth's Sunflowers selling sunflower seeds and raising funds for Blood Cancer Charities such as Cure Leukaemia and a A Gift to Lift.

She said the work by the charity had led to other opportunities, such as being invited to create a display at the BBC Gardeners World Live show between June 13 and 16 which she has entitled "A Garden of Treasured Memories", and being given a donation by a London Media PR company.

At the event on June 23, the person voted the top volunteer will have their name put on a West Midlands Metro tram and Ms Childs said that she'd be honoured to put her daughter's name on the tram if she was selected as a lasting memorial to her.

She said: "When we set it up, we were just selling the odd packet of sunflower seeds, but now we're doing 200 packets for weddings and we're doing garden shows and it's just crazy to think that we just started out growing some flowers, then saving the seeds and selling them for a few quid.

"I think I'd have to name the tram after Beth if I got selected as she's already got her name on a truck from JJX Logistics in Kingswinford, with the Cure Leukaemia logos on the side, so if I was allowed to, I'd call it after Beth.

"I don't know how she'd feel about have a tram named after her as she wasn't that type of girl, very glamorous, but it would be amazing to name it after her or, even better, after Beth's Sunflowers and she is in everything I do."