Walkers raise £20K for brave Charlie
NICK HUGHES
ACHARITY walk for a three-year-old cancer sufferer has raised over £20,000.
Charlie Procter, from Lion Street in Church, has Heptoblastoma, a rare form of liver cancer which requires specialist treatment in America and his family are trying to raise £316,000.
Leah Dale, who is cousin of Charlie’s dad Ben, organised the 4.3km sponsored walk in Morecambe which involved over 100 people, including a coach-load of walkers from Accrington.
A cheque for £20,500 has now been delivered to Charlie’s Chapter, the fund set up for the toddler’s treatment costs and to raise awareness.
Leah said: “I’m absolutely over the moon with this amount, it really is amazing. Charlie’s estimated bill for his treatment in America is now £316,000 so we need to get as much exposure as possible.”
Charlie, who was diagnosed last year with the stage-four cancer, has undergone more than 20 rounds of chemotherapy to fight the condition.
Despite the cancer remaining stable, Charlie’s chances of survival have been rated as ‘below 20 per cent’ and his family has been warned his body will eventually resist fur- ther chemotherapy.
Another fundraising event in aid of Charlie and his family will take place this weekend on Saturday, March 25 at the Bold Street Working Club in Accrington.
The event caters for the entire family, with sports competitions, raffles and face painting on offer, with local singer Courtney Francis providing live entertainment.
Leah says she is constantly looking for new fundraising opportunities for Charlie, as his family seek to raise the money for treatment not available on the NHS, and she has more events planned around Easter.
Leah, who owns a tanning salon, added: “I’m continuously doing bonus-ball raffles and col- Men’s lections to keep money flowing.
“The next major event I’m involved in is an all day and all night fundraiser and dance event at the Cellar Bar and Factory Floor, in Blackburn, on April 22.
“We hope this will be a great event and raise a lot of money too. There are lots more smaller fundraisers happening all over the place at different times.”
To book tickets for Saturday’s event, call 07710 574848 or 07506 234720. To donate, visit www. gofundme.com/ mkwze3tg the