by Ray Duffill and Rebecca Hannant
A fundraiser at a pub in Thorngumbald has raised more than £4,000 for a campaign to get a two-year-old Bilton boy to America for lifesaving cancer treatment.
As previously reported in the Gazette, Louie Turner has a rare form of cancer, and his family are trying to raise £100,000.
To help them, the New Royal Mail micropub set up a charity event on Easter Sunday.
Businesses and customers across the area were also keen to help, offering numerous prizes to be used in the auction.
The event was deemed “magnificent” by pub regular Rob Stirling who praised the response from local businesses and local people. Rob was keen that the efforts at the pub were recognised in the Gazette.
In total, the event raised £4,245.
Louie’s mother, Daisy Turner, said: “It’s amazing – we can’t believe how much they managed to raise so much for Louie’s fundraising campaign.
“The day was a huge success, and we can’t thank everyone who was involved enough, from the pub staff to the volunteers who ran the auction, DJ, people who donated prizes and just everyone who turned out, we are so very grateful.”
A spokeswoman for the New Royal Mail pub said: “It shows what you can do when you all pull together – it’s part of the community spirit.
“We would like to thank all the local businesses who have so kindly and generously donated raffle prizes.
“There are too many for us to list and name, but we are overwhelmed by the generosity of those businesses and the customers.
“Without the generosity of everybody we wouldn’t be able to achieve that amount.”
At the time of going to press, the JustGiving page Cure4Louie showed more than £64,000 raised via 1,610 individual donations.
The total amount will be put towards the treatments, clinical consultations and associated testing. Flights and accommodation costs also need to be met.
To donate, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Cure4Louie.
