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The Jewish-founded ‘make a wish’ charity making the dreams of terminally ill kids come true

Stephen Allan was awarded an OBE in the King’s 2025 New Years Honours List for his service to charity and the media industry

January 7, 2025 16:14
Rays of Sunshine
Five-year-old Zachary after seeing the Loch Ness Monster (Credit: Rays of Sunshine)
4 min read

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.”