The nine-year-old, who won a Child of Courage award at last year’s Pride of Britain awards, hasn’t stopped campaigning for other ill children
She’s the little girl who stole hearts with her massive laugh and scooped Pride of Britain’s 2024 Child of Courage award.
Now nine-year-old Florrie Bark is on the hunt for some new friends – so she can treat other sick children to a special night out.
Florrie, who lives with a rare form of cancer called acute myeloid leukaemia, will be watching Katy Perry performing her Lifetimes Tour at London’s O2 on October 13 – and wants some more children to join her in a VIP box.
The adorable youngster, who is on the lung transplant list and needs oxygen 24 hours a day, hasn’t stopped campaigning for other ill children since winning her prestigious gong last autumn.
And, thanks to the generosity of businessman Sean Reddington, CEO of Thrive Learning, Florrie’s charity BeMoreFab will have the opportunity to bring up to 10 children and their parents along with her for the fabulous night out next month.
“Because of Sean, Florrie had the opportunity to go to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour,” her dad Andrew Bark tells The Mirror. “At a time that was incredibly difficult, Florence got the perfect distraction in the form of this amazing day that made her feel incredibly special.
“It was a core memory for all of us, just seeing how delighted and happy Florence was when she was there.”
Now Florrie wants to be able to treat other children going through their own gruelling cancer journeys to a night out where they can get dressed up and sing along to popstar Katy Perry’s greatest hits.
And businessman Sean is only too happy to help her.
He says: “Florrie is a wonderful girl. I’m happy to do anything I can to make her life a little bit better and to support the charity set up by her brilliant mum and dad.
“I know how much she loves Katy Perry which is why I offered her my box at the O2. But it’s typical that she would want to share this treat with other children who are going through similar challenges.
“Florrie is a funny, brave and inspirational person. I hope she and her new friends have an amazing time.”
Florrie’s mum Stacey knows only too well how special a night out is for children like her sunny little girl.
“Children like Florrie who are immunocompromised just don’t get to mingle otherwise,” says Florrie’s mum Stacey.
READ MORE: Famed BBC star died penniless after becoming ‘most famous comic’
“We want to help build a community so they get to know other children who are in the same position as them, because it’s so lonely for them and it is so lovely when they meet someone who understands what it’s like to be a child with cancer.”
“Children who haven’t faced what I have don’t understand how difficult it is to do ‘normal’ things like going to a concert,” says Florrie. “There’s lots of places I can’t go to because of the germs.
“When you’ve been in hospital or you’ve been poorly for a long time, you haven’t been able to go out and do lots of things, so it’s really special to have these memories to make with your family.”
Andrew adds: “Even children who don’t need oxygen, like Florrie does, have potentially gone through chemotherapy and treatment that leaves them so fatigued that they often require wheelchairs, so it’s the navigating through busy crowds and so on that becomes tricky.
“You actively avoid going to busy places so our children sadly miss out on the very experiences that help take their minds off what they’re going through, and just allow them to be children again. That’s why Florrie really wants to help.”
For sick children to be in with a chance of joining Florrie in the VIP box, parents will need to sign up to the BeMoreFab ‘Fabily’, which you can access through the QR code on this page or via https://forms.office.com/e/K7Xw1XMX3G
There you can upload your children’s cancer diagnosis and the hospital they are registered at and put in a request to join Florrie at London’s O2 for the Katy Perry concert on October 13.
Selfless and sparkly
At just nine years old, Florrie Bark has already shown more courage, heart and sparkle than many of us manage in a lifetime.
The Corby schoolgirl was crowned Child of Courage at last year’s Pride of Britain Awards, not simply for beating cancer, but the way she has inspired and helped so many others.
Florrie began suffering repeated infections in 2022. The five-year-old was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) aged five, a very rare form of cancer which can be aggressive.
Florrie’s dad, Andy, recalls his daughter comforting him and his mum, Stacey, after they were told about the heart-shattering diagnosis.
He says: “Florence wiped the tears off my face and said, ‘Stop crying, it’ll be OK’.”
When specialist chemotherapy didn’t work, Florrie underwent a bone marrow transplant which saved her life.
But it left her with damaged lungs, and she’s now waiting for a lung transplant at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Refusing to feel sorry for herself, while she was receiving treatment in hospital, Florrie began posting heart-warming TikTok videos offering advice and support to other cancer-battling children, which have gained her nearly 165K followers.
She also set up her own charity, Be More Fab, to raise funds that support children, families and schools through the challenges of cancer.
Her dad Andy said: “Florrie is the most selfless person, always more worried about others than herself.
“She just wants to help, to make people happy and show all that you can do despite having cancer. She has been around death so she knows how precious life is.”
She will be a hard act to follow, as we now gear up for the 2025 Daily Mirror Pride of Britain with P&O Cruises awards next month.