Rosie May Storrie, 10, was suffocated by a 17-year-old boy she knew at the party on December 28, 2003 in Normanton, West Yorkshire. A year after the tragic event, the girl’s parents and two brothers wanted to escape the horrific memories and went on a family holiday in South East Asia.

However, the family went through yet another seemingly tragic event, as a tsunami hit their island on Boxing Day. That’s when the Rosie May Foundation was set up, which has helped thousands of orphan children in Sri Lanka over the years.

May 9, 2023 would have marked Rosie May’s 30th birthday and was celebrated with numerous events across the world, including tea and cake parties, discos, storytelling sessions, and more. The most recent event was a bike ride organised by Emma Clarkson, fundraising manager for the Rosie May Foundation, on Monday, May 29.

She said: “Throughout May, we’ve asked supporters of ours all over the globe to host Rosie May days to celebrate her 30th birthday.

“The last time this happened was for her 20 th birthday in 2013 and people had a global tea party and plenty of cake, which Rosie May loved. I just thought I’d like to do something of my own as an employee and, as I’m really active and like to keep fit, I decided to celebrate 30 years with 30 km.”

The bike ride, which started at 11am at the South Forest Leisure Centre in Edwinstowe, finished in the same place four hours later. Entry was £10. and the 15 riders went around multiple North Nottinghamshire beauty spots, including Sherwood Pines, Sherwood Forest, Clumber Park, and Thoresby Estate.

The event was followed by a raffle, which cost £5 for a strip of five tickets, and was supported by multiple sponsors such as Ashiana Indian Restaurant, Worksop Golf Club, Savoy Cinema, and the Retreatery at Hexgreave.

Prizes included a Thoresby Hall afternoon tea, a carvery for two and family swim pass at South Forest, and Belvoir Castle fireworks family pass.

Mary Storrie, Rosie May’s mum and founder of the charity, said: “It’s a great thing that we can do this in her memory, and we have been so overwhelmed with the global support that we’ve received.”

Another event took place in Bingham, where the foundation is based, on June 2 and consisted of a trail of hearts around the town, a tuk-tuk storytelling session, and face painting.

Sheets of paper for the heart trail could be picked up for £1 from the Dizzyware shop in Bingham.

Emma said: “People have put heart displays in their windows and went on to massive efforts to come up with the most interesting heart designs which was great to see.”

Rosie May’s godparents, based in Brisbane, Australia, also organised an afternoon tea for 80 guests, raising 4,500AUD (£2354). A Just Giving fundraiser for the Rosie May Foundation is also still available here, and has so far raised £6,218.