Mary-Ann keeps mum for 24 hours for the hospice

The 16-year-old’s granddad, Mick Lightburn, died in July from prostate cancer at the age of 52, only nine months after being diagnosed with the disease.

Mick lived in Weaverham, and was cared for by Winsford-based St Luke’s Hospice.

Mary-Ann lives in Barnton, and wanted to raise some funds for the hospice in memory of Mick.

She is taking a child care course at Mid-Cheshire College, and was at college on Monday for a 24-hour sponsored silence in aid of the hospice, which ran from midnight to midnight.

“Mary-Ann was very close to her granddad, and wanted to give something back to the hospice and to keep his name alive,” said Mary-Ann’s mum Sarah.

“The hospice was wonderful to us, and donations at Mick’s funeral went to the hospice.”

Mick’s local pub was The Wheatsheaf in Weaverham, which has helped to support Mary-Ann’s sponsored silence, which has raised almost £150.

Sarah’s younger brother Adam is also helping to raise money for the hospice by staging an all-day music gig at Warrington on February 7 next year.

Adam plays guitar in Jenkem, a punk/hardcore band which is one of 10 bands due to perform at the Dog House, a music venue in Buttermarket Street.

The gig starts at 2pm, and admission is £5 on the door, with all proceeds going to the hospice.

Adam’s girlfriend Cherub is also supporting the hospice through her job as a tattooist.

She is selling raffle tickets to win a palm-sized tattoo, and is also to donate money she would charge for creating cancer ribbon tattoos to the hospice.

The raffle and cancer ribbon fundraisers run until January 31, 2015.

Cherub works at the Skin Kandi tattoo studio in St Helens, and anyone who would like to support her fundraising for the hospice can do so online at justgiving.com/cherubtattooing.

People can order raffle tickets or book in for cancer ribbons at tattoosbycherub@hotmail.com.

People can also support Mary-Ann’s justgiving page by visiting the website and typing her name.