Nottingham girl "in tears" after Titanic actress Kate Winslet donated thousands to health fundraiser

A schoolgirl with a rare eye condition and her mother were “in tears” after actress Kate Winslet donated thousands to their fundraiser.

Lily-Rae Merchant-O’Hanlon, 11, from Nottingham, was diagnosed last December with Stargardt disease, an inherited eye condition which causes blurriness in the central part of the eye. Her mother, Emma Merchant, set up a GoFundMe to help Lily-Rae see the Northern Lights for the first time before her eye condition, which affects one in 10,000 people according to the Macular Society, worsens.

The pair were overwhelmed to see a £5,000 donation and a personal message from Titanic star Winslet.

On GoFundMe, Winslet said: "Wishing Lily-Rae some magical adventures so she can make many special memories to treasure! With lots of love, Kate Winslet and family."

Ms Merchant set up the fundraiser to enable Lily-Rae to have new experiences and see new places before her eye condition deteriorates further. The mother and daughter created a list of things they want to experience including a safari because of Lily-Rae’s love of cats, but said seeing the Northern Lights was at the "top of the list".

The 11-year-old is now using a cane and learning to read Braille, as she can only see roughly three metres in front of her and uses font size 64 to read from her laptop. She described her and her mother being "in tears" after seeing Winslet's donation.

Lily-Rae said: "I would say this (fundraiser) is important for us because then I can see the world before my vision goes and my mum can also experience with me and I can just have mental memories and also muscle memories of all the different experiences."

Winslet's history of generosity is well-documented. In 2022, she donated £17,000 help a woman called Carolynne Hunter, after her daughter's cerebral palsy equipment led to a £6,500 a year energy bill.

"Now it’s all about what we can do together and have those memories," Ms Merchant added. "I want to live for today. We both live for today.

"We’re very overwhelmed. The donations we’ve had have been absolutely appreciated.

"To have somebody such as Kate Winslet… I cannot explain how much I respect that woman as an actress, let alone now as an individual as a human being, to be so generous."