School girl Lily was nominated in our Share a Smile campaign back in November, by her mum Stef, and when we heard her story our hearts melted. The 14-year-old from Chatham has been a “ray of sunshine” to her family, during what has been a dark year.

Following a distressing start to 2020 that unfortunately saw her older sister, Grace, be diagnosed with seizures, coupled with the global pandemic, Lily selflessly stepped up to help make both her sister’s and her family’s day-to-day lives as easy and normal as possible – something that was made even more challenging when lockdowns came into force throughout the year.

In the midst of life in lockdown, which saw the sisters having to adapt to school at home, Lily planned it so the pair were able to still enjoy little things that would brighten up day-to-day life, from long walks to watching Harry Potter marathons on the sofa with a bowls of ice cream.

Lily didn’t shy away from the more difficult parts of the situation that the family found themselves in either; not only helping with the one-to-one care for her sister, but also administering vital first aid to her in emergency moments of need.

Her kindness does not end there, since being able to return to school back in September, she’s continued on her mission to spread joy and help others in need. Even paying for another child’s lunch at school when they needed it, even when that meant she couldn’t get her own.

The simple acts of kindness this young girl actions without a second thought means so much to those around her and is a demonstration to all of us of how little moments of humanity can go a long way.

Stef, Lily’s mother said:

“She’s an amazingly caring person and she’ll always put others before herself. Not only does she provide vital care for Grace, but she’s always thinking about what she can do for other people. Just the other day she paid for someone’s lunch at school, which meant she couldn’t get her own. It’s little things like this that make Lily our ray of sunshine and make us so proud of her. We’re delighted that PizzaExpress has also recognised her kindness.”