MBE couple helped raise £2m for childhood cancer

Vicki and James Woodall have raised money for the Royal Marsden Hospital

A couple awarded MBEs for helping raise more than £2m to support children with cancer said it "blows their minds" to get the honours.

Vicki and James Woodall have been recognised in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours List for their Giant Pledge to Help Beat Childhood Cancer campaign.

They launched the campaign after their son, then-four, was diagnosed with a "rare and aggressive" tumour in 2017.

George, now 11 and cancer-free, underwent 14 "gruelling" rounds of chemotherapy, 30 rounds of proton therapy and had part of his spine and three muscles from his back removed.

George is now cancer-free and preparing to start secondary school with his brother, Alex

Mr and Mrs Woodall, from Redhill, Surrey, said their experience made them want to "shine a light" on childhood cancer.

Their fundraising has supported projects at the Royal Marsden Hospital including trials, studies and specialist staff.

Mrs Woodall, 46, said: "We couldn’t be more grateful to everyone that has helped along the way."

Her husband, 48, said it was "surreal" to look back at the "out of reach" goal firstly of £100,000, then an "absurd" £1m, and now to have an MBE after their names.

He added: "It blows our minds to receive recognition in this way."

George underwent 14 rounds of chemotherapy

Mrs Woodall added: "It was never about anything like this.

"In fact all we’ve ever wanted was to shine a light on childhood cancer, be sure people knew the signs and symptoms to watch out for and to let people know just how underfunded childhood cancer is in the UK yet how easily they can each make a difference."

Their fundraising started out called George and the Giant Pledge, raising more than £1.5m through events and with the help of celebrities including Dame Judi Dench and Sir Andy Murray.

They then opened up the fundraising to other families going through the same thing.

Mrs Woodall said: "Any parent could have a Giant Pledge in their child’s name and become part our fundraising parent collective to help stop others from suffering the same way we all had."

The Giant Pledge families have now raised more than £2.2m.