Month: August 2026

A Warwick mum who founded a charity in her late daughter’s name, was thrust into the West End ‘spotlight’ when a special surprise was sprung on her by the BBC’s The One Show, which aired last week.

Rachel Ollerenshaw cut short her family holiday in France to travel to London, on the promise of a last-minute TV interview about her charity Molly Ollys. But she was to discover something rather different awaiting her at The Coliseum Theatre, where she was greeted by the cast of the illusionists show, Now You See Me Live.

Rachel, who established the charity in 2012 following the death of their eight-year-old daughter Molly from a rare kidney cancer, was the latest recipient of The One Show’s ‘One Big Thank you’. This regular segment of the live prime time magazine show celebrates community heroes who ‘go above and beyond to help others.’

As well as meeting the cast – and some unexpected friends and family waiting in the wings who’d been in on the secret – an emotional Rachel was shown pre-recorded video messages from some of the previous families helped by the charity, as well as a tribute by The One Show presenter Alex Jones.

The seven-minute segment was included at the top of the show which was seen by more than three million people – including Rachel’s family and friends who gathered at her home to tune in on Thursday (August 20^th).

Rachel, who was also gifted a pair of tickets for the stage show, said: “It was certainly a shock and a little embarrassing being thrust centre stage but a welcome surprise and very humbling to hear the emotional messages from people of all ages around the UK who Molly Ollys have helped over the years or worked alongside.

There were volunteers, companies and families and they all managed to keep it a secret, which was no mean feat.

“Whilst every day we miss Molly, over the last 15 years it has been our absolute privilege to meet so many special, brave children and young people and their families. To help, albeit in a small way and to work alongside the incredible health professionals who support them is an honour and gives me and all of the team at Molly Ollys great satisfaction.

“Thank you to my family, friends, all the Molly Olly Team, the families and our donors for your encouragement and backing, enabling me and my colleagues to make a positive difference.”

The grand televised gesture comes as Molly Ollys approaches its 15^th anniversary, in which time the charity has raised a total of almost £6 million; granted more than 5,000 wishes; supported more than 21,000 children and distributed more than 23,000 Olly The Brave books to more than 70 hospitals.

It supports children with terminal or life-limiting illnesses and their families and works alongside the NHS to support projects within the hospitals and the community, including the creation and refurbishment of Magnolia House at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. This is a safe and non-clinical space where medical teams and families can have important discussions.

Molly Ollys is also responsible for funding the first ever consultants in paediatric palliative medicine at the hospital.

The charity works to and help with their emotional wellbeing. As well as providing wishes, they donate therapeutic toys and books to both children directly and to hospitals throughout the UK.

The therapeutic toy lion called Olly The Brave has his own Hickman line and a detachable mane which helps to explain and normalise the effects of chemotherapy. These form part of an Olly The Brave pack that has now been handed out to more than 70 hospitals or health centres, along with a set of books from the charity’s exclusive Olly The Brave series.

Molly Ollys need the support of companies and individuals to enable them to help more children. They welcome the opportunity to provide more information about their work. For details contact Rachel on 07747 854914.

When local distiller David Blick takes on his sixth Ironman Challenge next month it will see a return to where it all began.

For the 53-year-old, Tenby is not only the home of one of the toughest triathlons in the world – but the town where the inspiration for his award-winning Warwickshire Gin Company was born.

And powering him on through every 140 miles of the gruelling challenge will be the memory of his late mum, Maggie, who died after a battle with breast cancer just a few months ago.

After months of training, on September 13^th David will be hoping to complete a 3.8km sunrise swim followed by a 180km bike ride and 42km run in less than the required 17 hours.

But it’s already a well-trodden path for the fundraiser whose visit to Tenby Gin in 2018, inspired his journey to entrepreneurship prompting, him to leave his retail and logistics career of 28 years to launch a distillery business in Leamington.

David said: “A conversation with the team at Tenby Gin all those years ago set me on a path I could never have imagined. Returning now feels like closing a loop, reconnecting with the place that helped shape my journey.

“I’ve done five Ironmans before – Bolton, Mallorca, Lanzarote and twice in Wales – but the last one was eight years ago when I was significantly younger. This time, the challenge is bigger than the course as I’m racing for Breast Cancer Research in my mum’s memory.

“Watching someone you love face something so frightening and uncertain puts everything into perspective. I couldn’t fight her battle for her but I could fight with her, in the best way I know how. Every mile, every hill, every moment I want to stop, will be for her, and for the thousands of families walking this same path.”

He added: “Mum faced cancer with the kind of quiet strength only mums seem to have. After her mastectomy, we learned the cancer was aggressive, and pain management became the only option. She passed away on 11th April.

“There’s no easy way to run, bike, or swim through grief either, but I’m doing this because she deserves to be part of every mile. Because research matters. Because families deserve more time than we got. So every hill, every long training day, every moment I want to stop, she’ll be the reason I don’t.

“If you’re able to donate, share, or simply cheer from the sidelines, it means more than I can say. Together, we can help fund research that gives other families hope, options, and time.”

Donate to David’s fundraiser page HERE.

The inspiration behind Warwickshire Gin Company’s drinks collection comes from a desire to capture a moment in history, developing flavours to fully represent the county’s own unique story and bringing the range of hand-crafted flavours to life.

The distillery also offers popular visitor experiences – Gin Tasting, Cocktails at The Distillery and Afternoon Gin & Tea, plus a range of build-your-own branded gift bundles, including spirits, goblet, mixers and gin or rum-infused chocolates.

WGC shot to the envied top spot on TripAdvisor thanks to five-star reviews from visitors. Internationally it’s also made its mark, achieving the “Travellers’ Choice Award” which puts the distillery in the top 10% of businesses listed in the world based on reviews.

Visit Warwickshire Gin Company HERE.

Health and wellbeing continues to be an important focus at Stratford Park Hotel & Golf Club with the launch last week of its new Reformer Pilates Studio.

The state-of-the-art four-bed studio is the latest addition to the 14^th-century family-owned hotel in Stratford-Upon-Avon, supporting mindful movement, strength training, flexibility, and low-impact fitness in a calm, modern environment.

Co-owner and General Manager Beverley Haynes, said the inspiration came following her own frustrating customer experience. She explained: “I couldn’t find the experience I wanted, most reformer classes near me were either part of a monthly paid gym membership or on a high street. While this is great to see in terms of high street regeneration, they came with no parking, no space to grab a coffee afterwards, no garden or outdoor space to sit in, no changing rooms with showers to freshen up before heading back to work and nowhere to sit and open my laptop and get on with my day.

“And there were often far too many reformer beds crammed into one class, with instructors stretched thinly across a packed room. I loved the workout but just didn’t love the whole experience.”

She added: “Here, after class you don’t have to leave, you can sit outside in the garden with a coffee, enjoy a healthy breakfast or lunch, answer a few emails or simply spend 20 minutes doing absolutely nothing.

“We also made a deliberate decision to keep classes small, which means more individual coaching, more attention to technique. You’re never going to be just another person in a packed room.

“The Reformer Edits is designed for people who don’t just want to exercise, it’s somewhere they will actually look forward to spending time here.”

The studio forms the latest chapter of Beverley’s plans to widen the hotel’s wellness offering and follows the launch of the wellbeing rooms last year, spaces which can be hired for a variety of workshops and therapies including counselling, coaching and classes.

The Reformer Pilates classes are run by four instructors and are geared to all levels, from Beginners, Strength and Flexibility, through to Athletic, Pre/Post-Natal, Mobility and Balance.

Visitors will be in the professional hands of a team including Jessica Daromas, from Alcester, Amy Edwards from Warwick, Tyra Moore from Solihull and Chloe Mason from Stratford.

Reformer Pilates works on Core Strength (Building deep stability and a stronger, more supported torso; Lean Muscle Tone (Lengthening and toning muscles without heavy weights); Flexibility (Increasing the range of motion and unlocking tight joints over time); Better Posture (Improving alignment and undoing the effects of desk work); Stress Relief (Slow, controlled movement that calms the nervous system) Functional Strength (Building real-world power without the strain of heavy lifting) and Injury Prevention (Supporting recovery and protecting the body for the long term.)

Beverley said: “I’ve spent over three decades in the hospitality business and it’s getting tougher every year, business rates, cost of food and drink and every square meter of our business has to earn its place but it also has to improve the guests’ experience.

“This was an opportunity to create a space that encourages people to slow down, move well, stay longer and enjoy the experience, rather than just ticking another workout off the list!”

The studio is open from August 11th. Further information is available HERE or by contacting events@thestratfordpark.co.uk