By Your Side

16/05/2026

Today, our family donated a bench to the oncology ward courtyard at Leicester Royal Infirmary in memory of my beautiful mum, Christine.

I spent many moments trying to catch my breath in this courtyard on those cold January days while Mum was being cared for in hospital. Today though, the day after her birthday, the sun was shining.

I hope it gives patients and families somewhere to pause for a few minutes when they need it.

I also got an update on the By Your Side care kits today, and they’re now running low, which means they’ve been used and needed. So over the next few weeks, I’ll be working on putting together the next 100 kits.

Thank you, as always, to everyone who continues to support By Your Side and help me continue Mum’s legacy of kindness.

With love,
Lucy x
Founder, By Your Side

31/12/2025

On the eve of the first year I’ll begin without my mum by my side, it doesn’t feel right to wish anyone a “Happy New Year.”

As painful as this year has been, it’s the last one where Mum was here - where I could see her, speak to her, hold her hand and tell her I love her.

But I’m holding on to the hope that Mum is still here with me in some way - in the things I do, the choices I make, and in By Your Side.

I know she would want me to keep going, to find moments of happiness where I can, and to live fully while carrying her with me.

As this year comes to a close, I’m deeply grateful for every person who has supported this project - whether through generosity, encouragement, or simply being here. It feels like a way of continuing Mum’s legacy of kindness.

If you’re entering a new year missing someone you love, you’re not alone. And if you’re able to hold onto even a small glimmer of hope, that’s enough.

With love,
Lucy x
Founder, By Your Side

24/11/2025

This weekend my sister and I visited The Ever After Garden in support of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. It was incredibly moving to see thousands of illuminated white roses - especially meaningful as white roses were our mum’s favourite.

We made a donation and left dedications for our lovely mum. It felt like a beautiful and fitting way to honour her.

If you’d like to find out more about the Ever After Garden, you can do so here: https://www.royalmarsden.org/ever-after-garden

18/11/2025

It’s been a little while since my last update, but things are still happening quietly in the background as I work towards raising funds for the next 100 care kits.

A huge thank you again to Wild for generously donating five boxes of hair conditioner to LOROS Hospice. At 300ml each they’re too big to include in the care kits, but the hospice can use them for patients, families, and staff - and I’m so pleased we’ve been able to help another very worthy cause.

Thank you, as always, for the continued support.

With love,
Lucy
Founder, By Your Side

13/09/2025

A big thank you to Wild for donating these mini deodorants for the next 100 By Your Side care kits.

Your generosity means we can keep going and continue supporting families during the hardest of times.

With love,
Lucy
Founder, By Your Side

05/09/2025

This evening feels like a culmination, even though I fully intend for this initiative to continue.

I settled on the name By Your Side before realising it was also the title of one of my favourite songs by Sade. All credit to her - I hope she wouldn’t mind me sharing it here.

Sade - By Your Side Director - Sophie Muller - October 2000The official YouTube channel for the British iconic band Sade www.sade.com Sade (vocals)Stuart Ma...

05/09/2025

I’m sitting in the same spot in Costa where Mum and I last had coffee together, looking down at her face on page three of today’s Leicester Mercury.

It feels emotional and a little surreal, but I’m so grateful to Eva at the paper for sharing our story and helping to spread the word about By Your Side.

With love,
Lucy
Founder, By Your Side

01/09/2025

𝗔 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

Last night the first 100 By Your Side care kits were boxed and labelled, and this morning I delivered them to the oncology ward at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

It was an emotional moment - seeing some of the wonderful staff who cared for my mum so well really touched me. I’ll always be grateful to them.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this a reality - your kindness has turned an idea into something tangible that will now be there for those keeping vigil with their loved ones. I’m so very grateful.

And thank you also to the amazing staff at LRI for their support and encouragement.

This isn’t the end - we’re already on our way with the next 100 kits. Thank you again.

With love,
Lucy
Founder, By Your Side

11/08/2025

𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘁!

The very first By Your Side care kit is complete.

Each kit contains: deodorant (male or female), 2 body wipes, a comb, lip balm, a sachet of hand moisturiser, a dental pack (toothbrush, toothpaste, flosses), mouthwash and face wipes.

With everything now here, we can begin packing the kits.

Thank you to every single person and business who has donated, shared, or supported this journey so far - you’ve made this possible.

23/07/2025

𝗔 𝗛𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱

Today, I collected 100 deodorants kindly donated by my mum’s former longtime workplace, Tesco. A huge thank you to the amazing Pari at the Beaumont Leys store for making this happen - your support means so much.

This donation means we now have all the products for the first 100 care kits! The next step is to order some labels for the bags featuring the By Your Side logo and a QR code linking back to this Facebook group, so recipients can find out more about the organisation if they wish.

And in even more good news… Wild has generously offered to donate the next 100 deodorants for future kits! I’m beyond grateful for this kindness and support.

Thank you to everyone following along, sharing, and cheering us on. Together, we’re making this possible.

With love,
Lucy x
Founder, By Your Side

📸 𝘔𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘕𝘰𝘢𝘩, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴