Obsessed with all things Scottish, five-year-old Zachary’s greatest wish was to see the Loch Ness Monster after being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, and so charity Rays of Sunshine got to work constructing a full-sized model of the mythic beast to place in the loch.
“The face Zachary made when he spotted Nessie, it was unbelievable, pure joy, that is why we do what we do,” said Stephen Allan, who was honoured with an OBE in the King’s 2025 New Years Honours List in part for his services to the charity industry as co-founder and Chair of Trustees of Rays of Sunshine.
The charity, which grants wishes to seriously and terminally ill children across the UK, was established 21 years ago by Allan, a member of Belsize Square Synagogue since the day he was born, and five friends of his, all Jewish, who were then at the point in their lives when they began to think about their life’s purpose and the legacies they would leave behind.
Allan said: “Normally, when considering one’s legacy, many think of brick and mortar, but we decided to help grant experiences. A wish for a child can also be a legacy and, though it may only last an hour or a day, that memory will stay with that child and their family forever.”
Stephen Allan OBE with his wife, Hayley, and a Rays of Sunshine child (Credit: Rays of Sunshine)
Since its inception, originally operating out of Allan’s kitchen and with “instrumental” help from his wife, Hayley, and friend Jane Sharpe, Rays of Sunshine has granted over 9,000 wishes, brightening the lives of over 80,000 children and their families. Last year, the charity granted 358 magical wishes, supported patients in 75 hospitals, and hosted 24 free events for wish families.
Both Sharpe and Hayley have remained “totally committed” to the charity and to wish granting in the 21 years since, with Sharpe serving as the charity’s CEO for a decade and Hayley often leading the team at major annual fundraising events.
Now operating out of offices in Finchley, the charity grants new wishes nearly every single day thanks to a team of full-time wish makers, whose job it is to coordinate with doctors, liaise with families and expedite wishes.
George's Minnesota Viking's Wish (Credit: Rays of Sunshine)
Each wish is tailor-made to the child, and each is as unique as him or her, with wishes ranging from wanting to meet a real-life mermaid, which involved flying a dedicated mermaid impersonator over from America, driving a pink Lamborghini with Top Gear star Richard Hammond (a wish that can be watched on YouTube), swimming with British Olympian Adam Peaty, to wanting a full traditional white Christmas with all the trimmings.
That last one, Allan recounted, involved transforming the back garden of a little girl’s home into a picturesque Christmas grotto complete with fake snow, and from her bedroom window she watched as Santa Claus made his way down her road in a sleigh attached to real life reindeer.
Daniel's Wish to meet Finn from Star Wars (Credit: Rays of Sunshine)
“The sky is the limit when it comes to wishes,” Allan said, “Whatever it is we try to make it happen, and provide some joy, a ray of light as we call it, to not just the children but to their families, too, who are going through their most terrible moments.”
Ant and Dec meet a Rays of Sunshine family (Credit: Rays of Sunshine)
This focus on the parents he learned from his own experience of feeling “utterly helpless” when his son, who is now aged 29 and healthy, had a “terrible” start to early life, during which Allan was informed by doctors that his son would be unlikely to live.
In that moment, Allan’s immediate reaction was to call his rabbi, the late Rodney Mariner, in tears, who told him to come and see him and together they said a blessing. “I’ve never forgotten that,” Allan said, “and what I’ve since realised from that experience is that what we do is as much for the parents as it is for the children themselves.
“The helpless I felt then was indescribable. When you’re feeling helpless, you’re desperate to do something, anything to help. Rays of Sunshine gives parents the ability to do something. The point of a wish is not just the day of the wish, it’s the anticipation, it gives them something to look forward to, and afterwards to look back and reflect on.”
A child enjoying a Rays of Sunshine experience (Credit: Rays of Sunshine)
Focus is also put on offering numerous free events throughout the year for wish families, from private film screenings, concerts, and an annual Christmas Party, to large scale trips to Legoland and Lapland, which help to build a community and enables the children to interact with each other.
“After getting to know so many thousands over the years, we know that when you talk to an extremely ill kid who is missing school, their classmates just don’t get what they are going through. Yet there’s an immediate bond with other kids who are in a similar predicament,” Allan said. “We have also spread sunshine in hospitals, through initiatives like National Teddy Bear Day and providing sensory toy kits to wards, to make stays in hospitals for children just a little better than it would otherwise be.”
A Rays of Sunshine family meets Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman (Credit: Rays of Sunshine)
The charity has over the years attracted a whole host of stars such as Olly Murs, John Terry, Simon Cowell, Craig David and Gordon Ramsay, to become Rays of Sunshine ambassadors.
Allan, 61, has been able to leverage his personal relationships and network he has built up over more than four successful decades in the media industry – as former CEO of MediaCom and current Executive Chair of Brainlabs – to make many of the wishes become reality.
A ‘real life’ mermaid flown in from Los Angeles to Glasgow in order to make a wish come true for Lauren's wish (Credit: Rays of Sunshine)
Though the charity is non-denominational and caters to all children, many of its supporters are Jewish, and its five original friends and founders - Daniel Coleman, Mark Shipman, David Saul, Timothy Allan, Tim Shaw and Grant Fox – are all still involved with the charity to different extents.
Stephen Allan OBE with his wife Hayley Allan at the London Marathon (Credit: courtesy)
Allan, a first-generation British Jew, whose grandfather survived the infamous voyage of the SS St Louis and whose parents arrived in the UK in 1939 fleeing Nazi Germany, said he knows how “proud” his father would be of him.
“And I am proud of what we’ve done and achieved at Rays of Sunshine,” Allan said, “and forever humbled to have received an OBE, because this has never been about one person. We have a large, amazing team doing our best to bring light to these children.”
