BIG-HEARTED Daisy Tullett poses with Father Christmas as he hands her a gift wrapped in the paper SHE created to help other sick children.
The brave eight-year-old came up with a Santa design as part of The Sun on Sunday’s Christmas Wrapping For Kids campaign to raise money to buy presents for youngsters in hospital.
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In an extraordinary twist, she was on a ward at Birmingham Children’s Hospital when Santa brought the gifts — purchased with the proceeds of her winning artwork.
So by sheer coincidence she has become one of the beneficiaries too.
Earlier this year we asked our young readers to draw Christmas pictures to be turned into limited-edition wrapping for our great charity push.
‘It’s a tough time’
As well as Daisy’s creation, two other winning designs were chosen — reindeer heads by Quinn Jenkinson, 12, from Colchester, Essex, and a drawing of a gingerbread man, Father Christmas and a snowman, by Cassius Greenhalgh, five, from Leigh, Gtr Manchester.
The giftwrap was sold in The Works stores nationwide with proceeds going towards presents and funding childhood cancer research via our charity partner The Azaylia Foundation.
Wearing fun “antlers” and a red Rudolph nose, Daisy, who has been battling a blood cancer called acute lymphoblastic leukaemia since March, beamed from ear to ear as she opened her Lego set gift.
She said: “I can’t believe I am getting a present in the paper I designed. Yes, I am proud. It means a lot.”
Daisy lives in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, with brothers Jacob, ten, and Rory, six, dad Richard, 33, who works for a renewable energy firm, and mum Holly, 31.
Holly, who gave up work as an administrator to care for her daughter, said: “We are so proud. Daisy has been through so much, and Christmas is a tough time.
“The fact she has helped so many other children feel an extra bit of happiness at Christmas is amazing, and raising money for cancer research is just so special too.”
Santa — with the help of elf Safiyya Vorajee from The Azaylia Foundation — also had a gift for Hallie-Mae Formstone, who is five tomorrow.
She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia last month.
The chatty youngster, from Shrewsbury, Shrops, will be spending Christmas in hospital. Mum Sophie, 32, a carer, said how grateful she is for the gift.
She added: “What’s happened to Hallie-Mae is every parent’s worst nightmare.
“Our world has been turned upside down but seeing Father Christmas and that smile on her face has been lovely.”
At The Christie Hospital in Manchester, there was excitement too as other young patients received a special visit.
Among them was Esmai Wright- Stanford, three, from Stoke-on-Trent.
She was diagnosed with anaplastic ependymoma, a brain tumour, at the age of seven months and has had surgery plus a year of chemotherapy.
The tot was being monitored when scans in September revealed her tumour had returned.
She is now undergoing a type of radiotherapy called proton beam therapy.
Her mum Chloe, 29, a pub worker, said: “She wasn’t very well this morning, and she was exhausted after treatment.
“But when she heard Santa was coming, she was determined to see him.”
With her hair tied into bunches and wearing a festive dress, Esmai couldn’t wait to tell Father Christmas how “cheeky” Mummy had been.
Chloe says seeing Santa was the highlight of her daughter’s week.
She said: “Hospitals are all she has ever really known. It can be so tough.
“But having a present from Santa and chatting to him is such a special treat.
“We can’t thank everyone enough for making it happen.”
Also facing Christmas at the world- famous centre in Manchester is ten-year-old Aggie Forster.
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She was diagnosed with ependymoma in October after the sudden onset of headaches.
Aggie from Pershore, Worcs, said: “I had scans and I was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
“I called it Bob and I had an operation to take him out of me.”
She will be at The Christie having proton beam therapy until January.
Her mum Lucy said: “Aggie loves this time of year, and so does her brother George who is 12. It’s been a really tough few months for her. It’s been scary. It’s been lovely seeing Santa.
“I am so grateful to everybody who bought the wrapping paper and helped make this happen.”
‘Really special day’
Also visited by Santa was Matvii Liakh, four, from Colne, Lancs, who was diagnosed with an inoperable high-grade glioma — another type of brain tumour — last month.
Originally from Ukraine, mum Viktorria said: “Matvii started losing his balance and seeing double, then got bad headaches and was sick. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour. We were told it was inoperable.
“He’s having six weeks of treatment to try to shrink it then they’ll see what they can do next.”
Matvii is a big fan of animated TV series Paw Patrol.
“It was so kind of Father Christmas to give him a Paw Patrol toy,” Viktorria added.
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“Things haven’t been easy for him so it’s been a really special day.”
Santa also visited kids at Croydon University Hospital in South London, including Teddy Bush, seven.
Teddy was diagnosed with acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia in May 2022, and has been in and out of hospital ever since.
Teddy said: “I love Santa and I love Christmas so I’m really happy to see him again. He always gives me lots of hot chocolate.”
Unwrapping a game of Guess Who? with his sister Delilah-Beau, two, sitting next to him, he added: “I love this game. Thanks Santa!”
His mum Lauren Bush, 28, from Forestdale, South East London, said: “It’s been a tough year but he’s always smiling. It’s great he got to see Santa today. I can’t thank The Sun on Sunday enough.
“It’s never easy spending Christmas in hospital so having a boost like this is really important.”
The nation has got behind our great campaign, including the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, music mogul Simon Cowell, actress Denise van Outen and The Chase star Anne Hegerty.
Such was the response, the wrapping paper even sold out online.
None of these visits would be possible without the support of YOU — our army of generous readers — who bought thousands of packs of the paper.
The Azaylia Foundation, which is also benefitting from your kindness, was created by former footballer Ashley Cain and his ex Safiyya in memory of their daughter Azaylia, who died of acute myeloid leukaemia in 2021 at eight months old.
Safiyya said: “Thank you to everyone who has supported this wonderful initiative by The Sun on Sunday.”
A spokesman for The Works added: “We’re overwhelmed and so pleased by the response received for such an amazing cause.
“It is a privilege to be part of something that makes a life- changing impact.”
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