A Biddulph woman is highlighting the importance of family while raising money for a good cause by holding a fundraising raffle in honour of her dad who is suffering from brain cancer.

Martha Brough is putting her artistic talents to good use by fundraising in aid of local charity Douglas Macmillan Hospice - everyone who donates will be put into a raffle, with one lucky winner receiving a free portrait of them and their family, created by Martha.

Martha says she wanted to raise money for Dougie Mac in honour of her dad David Brough, who is currently battling stage 4 brain cancer, and has sadly been given until the end of the month to live.

Dougie Mac have been helping her dad, and Martha has been giving back with her incredible fundraising efforts, raising over £1,300 for the hospice so far.

We spoke to Martha more about how she's using her artistic skill to help the charity that are supporting her dad.

She told Nub News: "I decided to do the fundraiser because I feel helpless not being able to cure my dad. I feel that by supporting the people who are helping my dad, I am helping him too. It's doing so much better than I ever anticipated - my initial goal was £100 so I'm over the moon to now be at £1,300!"

Martha described her dad's bravery, adding: "He's always been a very strong person physically but he has shown us what true emotional strength and perseverance is since he has had his diagnosis."

Biddulph residents may recognise David, having worked at Kloeckner Metals as a HGV driver and also being a qualified primary school teacher. However, he is best known in Biddulph for running Brough's Butchers on Kingsfield Road with his dad, Jack.

Martha said: "To have such a healthy, hard working, strong dad being told he has an inoperable brain tumour is a very difficult thing to get your head around. We're making as many memories as we can and taking each day as it comes, and just being thankful for him being here every day."

We also spoke to Martha about her artwork - she added that she has loved drawing all her life but started taking it more seriously in high school, before going on to attend Leeds College of Art.

She continued: "I love the freedom to be imaginative, express yourself, and illustrate what's in your mind onto paper - and it's also really fun! I got into drawing portraits because I always enjoyed drawing my mum lots of little family portraits, so I thought I'd try to make a little business out of it on Etsy.

"I think my quirky illustration style made them stand out and I quite quickly started getting sales. I often draw family portraits with people who have died or are ill, or pets that are from people's childhood, and it makes me feel really lucky to create an image that can't be physically made anymore and make people smile."

Martha also praised Dougie Mac for the amazing care they have been providing for her dad, saying: "I can remember the Dougie Mac coffee mornings we used to have at school and not understanding the magnitude of what they do. When my dad became ill I realised the work they do and I instantly wanted to contribute to this amazing team of people.

"They help my dad with medication, comfort, counselling, and we can ring whenever we want. Best of all my dad has somebody to talk to that can help and comfort him in any way we could hope for. They help my dad in so many ways and knowing as a family that we have that level of support behind us whilst going through the worst period of our life is comforting."

Finally, Martha praised the Biddulph community for all of their amazing support so far and thanked everyone who had helped her family and got involved in the fundraiser.

She said: "The fundraiser has definitely exceeded all of my expectations and I'm so proud of it! I feel it's a huge reflection on how much the community love my dad and my mum and I'm grateful that they are being shown how loved they are.

"Raising this money has allowed my dad to make a positive out of such a huge negative and support those who are supporting him. So if anybody could donate we would massively appreciate it - the Douglas Macmillan hospice support everybody in all kinds of different circumstances and are such a fantastic charity to support.

"I'd like to thank everybody who has already supported The Broughs through this very difficult time. We're very lucky to have a fantastic family and lovely friends to support us. Dad has always been the person that would go out of his way to help others and it's really lovely to know that the community think as highly of him as we always have."

The fundraiser is still live and if you would like to donate then please CLICK HERE. Remember, one lucky person who donates will get a portrait of themselves and their family created by Martha!