"Suggest a Star to Win a Car" has announced its winners in the run up to Christmas

LIVERPOOL'S newest radio station, In Demand Radio, have given away a car filled with presents to 1 lucky deserving winner, just in time for Christmas. "Suggest a Star to Win a Car" was launched in December 2020; giving listeners the opportunity to nominate a local hero who has gone above and beyond, showing true kindness and strength in challenging times. Rachael Sinclair contacted In Demand Radio to nominate her sister Hayley, who lost her 18 year old daughter, Holly, in March this year after suffering from health complications since she was just 8 weeks old. Rachael told the station of Hayley's tragic story and how, due to the COVID Pandemic, her family were unable to have everybody attend the funeral and even struggled to find a coffin for Holly. Given just a plain white coffin, Hayley decorated the coffin in pink herself to honour Holly and give her the send off she deserved. Since the passing of Holly, Hayley has made her best efforts to continue honouring Holly by raising money during the Pandemic, for Claire House, a local charity who cares for children with terminal illnesses, including a 19 mile run in memory of Holly's 19th Birthday. The year got even worse for Hayley and her family, with her eldest son losing his job in hospitality and their car being taken away shortly after Holly's death.

In Demand Radio surprised Hayley live on the breakfast show at 8am this morning and delivered it to her on the radio.  Lee Butler, Co-Director and Breakfast show host said:- "2020 has been such a tough year for so many. We've had so many messages and emails from people across the North West with heartbreaking stories, it was so difficult for us to choose a winner. It's such a privilege to be able to help people and couldn't do this without the help of Faster Car Finance who so kindly donated the car and presents. Hearing Hayley's story really touched us; to lose a child is any parent's worst nightmare, but to have difficulty in giving your child the send off they deserve, is unimaginable."

GFUK in Bromborough have also donated and fit a DAB radio, along with giving the winner a 2 year service warranty.

Lost World War 2 letter finally reaches family after 76 years

A lost World War 2 letter discovered inside a book, has finally reached its destination after 76 years thanks to a nationwide campaign by World of Books Group, the UK's largest retailer of used books and media. The letter was written by a British soldier serving in Italy in the winter of 1944. At the time, Allied forces battled through the tough Italian Campaign in freezing conditions; a campaign that would claim the lives of around 70,000 allied soldiers by its conclusion. It was in these difficult conditions that Lance Corporal John Wheldon Williams penned a heartfelt letter to High Wycombe schoolgirl, Pat Moore, thanking her for knitting supplies for anonymous troops. He himself had received a simple pair of mittens; a seemingly small gesture, but 1 that brought him comfort in difficult times. But Pat would never receive the letter. By the time it would have arrived at the correspondence address, she had moved on. 20 years later Pat passed away at just 36, never knowing just how much her act of kindness had meant to those on the receiving end. Upon discovering the letter, World of Books Group launched a nationwide campaign to return it to its rightful owner and were soon contacted by Lynn Cook from Surrey. The campaign had been spotted by amateur historian Dave Thacker. Amazingly, despite the limited information publicised, Dave was able to use his skills to work out a connection between Lynn and Pat, and got in touch to let her know about World of Books' find.

Lynn, Pat's only surviving child, was just a young girl when her mother passed away. Although she has spent years researching her mother's life story, she knew nothing of her kindness during the war until Dave got in touch. Lynn said:- "I'm delighted to be reunited with a piece of family history I knew nothing about. It's incredibly moving to know how much my Mum's contribution to the war effort meant on a personal level. I have early memories of watching my mother knit at home; it's something she always enjoyed. And I remember her telling me stories of her writing to pen pals during the war. I suspect she snuck a little note in with the package in the hope a soldier would eventually reply. She would have been overjoyed with this, and I'll treasure it forever."

The incredible find prompted the pair to work together and discover more about the letter. As a team, they've discovered information about the soldier, John Wheldon Williams, and the family he writes about. The soldier fortunately survived the war and returned to London, where he remained until he passed away in 1970. When tracking down John's son Brian, who was 8 years old when the letter was written, they discovered he grew into a successful stage actor. Under the name David Wheldon Williams, he starred in a number of West End shows, including the original London production of Cabaret alongside Judi Dench. Brian sadly passed away in 2017, but they have now made contact with other relatives and given them a new piece of family history too.

Graham Bell, CEO of World of Books Group, said:- "Over 75 million used books come through our business each year, and we occasionally come across forgotten personal items tucked away inside them. It's surprisingly common for people to place memories inside books for safe keeping, whether it be family photographs or letters from loved ones. But this find was particularly poignant and we knew we had to do something to return it to its rightful owner. We're delighted to have found Lynn and learn more about the incredible story behind the letter. As a circular economy business, we're focused on finding used items new homes. In this case, it's wonderful to bring something back full circle to where it truly belongs."