School clubbers lap up chance to help pal
AN after school club has completed a charity walk to raise money for their friend who was recently diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Snugbugs Afterschool Club in Church, Accrington, completed laps of Gatty Park to raise money for five-year-old Jeffrey Charlesworth.
Jeffrey was diagnosed with Battens Disease, a fatal disease of the nervous system, in May.
Taking part in the walk on Tuesday July 13, the children were sponsored for each lap of the park, with the child with the most laps getting a prize.
Mia Holland won the prize after completing 22 laps.
In total £226.16 was raised through sponsorship forms and some fun games, including hooka-duck, were played to raise some extra cash.
Owner of Snugbugs Kelly Kitching said: “One of our after school children has recently been diagnosed with Battens Disease. Jeffrey is five years old and attends Peel Park Primary School.
“This diagnosis has hit the family hard. All the children love Jeffrey and by talking to them about his condition we decided to do a sponsored walk.
“I’m so proud of the children, with their effort and determination to want to help and to carry on and do it!”
Battens Disease is an incurable, life limiting neurodegenerative disorder which affects only 30-50 children in the UK.
It is found in just five UK children a year and will eventually leave the five-year-old blind, mute, and wheelchairbound.
Jeffrey’s family have been raising money for trips from Accrington to London’s Great Ormond Street every two weeks for injections into a shunt in Jeffrey’s brain, to slow down the awful effects of the disease.
It is hoped Jeffrey will be well enough to walk mum Sheryl Lawson down the aisle when she marries fiancé Andrew later this year.
The family will also need to soon move into a bungalow to better facilitate Jeffrey’s needs.
All the money raised will go towards helping the family with: travel costs, bills uncovered costs of aides, equipment, special memories for Jeffrey, housing, and ultimately funeral expenses.
A link to Jeffrey’s GoFundMe page can be found here: https:// www.gofundme.com/f/ jeffreys-battle-withbattens-disease?utm_ campaign=p_cp+sharesheet&utm_ medium=copy_link_ all&utm_ source=customer