Battling Bradley Lowery receives almost 200,000 Christmas cards

Lynn Murphy (campaign manager) and Mark Wilkinson (deliveries director northeast region) with a small selection of cards and presents for Bradley Lowery. Picture by FRANK REID

The five-year-old who is battling cancer has captured the hearts of people across the globe.

After a tweet by an Everton fan called upon people to send the youngster from Blackhall a Christmas card, Royal Mail has been seen a huge rise in the number of parcels and letters coming through their sorting office.

Christmas Cards for Bradley Lowery waiting to being sorted in the Clark Street sorting depot. Picture by FRANK REID

So much so, that Bradley has now been given his own section - normally reserved for villages.

This weekend alone saw 50,000 cards and parcels landing at the sorting office in Hartlepool for Bradley.

Bradley has been receiving gruelling treatment since consultants discovered the neuroblastoma cancer he had beaten back in January 2013 had returned.

Earlier this month, his parents were given the devastating news by medics that the time he has left is now limited after recent scans show the cancer he has been fighting is growing.

Bradley Lowery is battling cancer neuroblastoma.

However, doctors have agreed for the Sunderland fan to take part in a trial - paid for with cash raised in his name - which could go someway to prolong his life.

If things go well Bradley, from Blackhall, will be due to start the GD2 anti-body chemotherapy combination in January.

Royal Mail’s Delivery Director for the North East of England, Mark Wilkinson, said: “We started to realise 10 days ago that this was getting bigger. At first, it was 50-100 letters and cards, then in the last 10 days that number has just been multiplying. We have had 50,000 this weekend, so we are easily heading towards the 200,000 mark now.

“The staff have been brilliant, this has hit everyone’s hearts and has really made their Christmas. They are pleased to be part of something so special.

“Just to show the increase, on average around this time of year we deal with around 90,000 cards and letters on a daily basis, we are now dealing with 120,000 cards daily.

“Bradley has his own special section in the Royal Mail centre which is normally reserved for villages, he’s got that many cards.

“They are being sent from all over the world, from all over Europe, America and New Zealand.

“We still have a few more days left for people to post their cards - the last day for second class is Tuesday and for first class Wednesday.”

Lynn Murphy, campaign manager for the Bradley fund, said: “It’s just overwhelming, all the parcels and cards that have been sent. They have been coming from all over the world, it really is so overwhelming that a five-year-old from Blackhall has touched the hearts of people all over the world.

“This all started after an Everton fan tweeted about wouldn’t it be nice for people send Bradley a Christmas card and it started from there.

“We did expect a few hundred cards even a thousand. But in the first day we had over 3,000 cards. We didn’t expect any more, but every day more would come and the vans were getting bigger and bigger.

“Bradley gets to open his presents straight away so he can see them straight away and play with them.”