A charity launched with backing from the Welwyn and Hatfield Times has gone national.

The Willow Foundation, which provides special days out for seriously ill young adults in Hatfield and the south-east, was formed in 1999.

It was launched by Welwyn and Hatfield Times editor Terry Mitchinson, former Arsenal and Scotland goalkeeper Bob Wilson and his wife Megs, and a team of trustees.

The Foundation was set up in memory of Bob and Megs’ daughter Anna, who lost her battle with cancer at the age of 31.

The charity has now been extended to cover the whole country – to offer help to the estimated 12,000 people aged 16-40 who are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness every year.

Terry, who celebrated 30 years with Archant title in September, said: “We had run stories about Anna’s brave fight with cancer. When she died it affected us all greatly. We wanted to do something; but we didn’t know what.

“I contacted Bob and Megs to see if together we could raise money in Anna’s memory.

“Obviously they were still greatly affected by their loss, but they had already determined something positive would come from Anna’s death.

“There followed weeks of discussions with experts from the health and hospital services before the idea for Willow was born.

“We set up a board of trustees, mainly consisting of people who knew Anna. The first meetings were held in a room in our offices in Welwyn.

“Little did any of us know that, six years later, the Willow Foundation would become a national charity. I feel immensely proud.”

The days out provided by the charity include spa weekends, pop concerts with backstage passes, football matches, sky-diving and trips to the Grand Prix.

Bob said: “When Anna was ill, some of the most memorable moments we had together as a family was from treats and days out.

“These special days gave Anna the determination to fight on for what she most valued: quality of life, quality of time and to be treated as normal.

“After Anna died, we decided that if special days worked for her they would work for others.”