Story moves stranger to gift £2,500 for boy’s surgery

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A GENEROUS Belfast Telegraph reader left a charity boss astonished by the kindness of strangers for the second time in as many days.

Last week this newspaper revealed how a woman had handed over £2,000 in cash she had saved for a sofa to the Belfast charity Ten Foundations.

The money was donated to an appeal to pay for a kidney transplant to save the life of a dying Filipino child called Matt, who turned 14 last Friday.

After reading about the appeal a reader called at the charity’s Lisburn Road shop on Friday and handed over a cheque for £2,500.

Overwhelmed founder Ian Campbell said: “The lady saw the story in the Belfast Telegraph and saw we needed just £5,000 to reach our £25,000 target.

“Like the first lady, she just walked in and handed me an envelope and said she hoped it would help. I opened it and couldn’t believe there was a cheque inside for £2,500.

“I have been in complete shock by the generosity of both strangers. It is wonderful and it means we can start the ball rolling to get Matt his lifesaving transplant.”

Ian’s charity funds a workshop in the Philippines to provide employment to families making school bags, which he then sells in his Belfast shop.

Matt is dying because his family can’t afford to pay the £25,000 cost of the transplant.

Ian (73) recently raised £7,000 during a 24-hour non-stop cycle round the Titanic Quarter.