Party time as brave Luke gets halfway to cash target

BRAVE Luke Chapman had even more reasons to celebrate than usual when his campaign to raise £25,000 for charity reached the halfway mark.

Along with his family Luke, nine, from Romiley, has been running the ‘Celebrate a Day With Luke’ campaign, which has seen him celebrate a different national holiday every day this year in aid of When You Wish Upon a Star.

Luke was born with a complex heart defect and has had to undergo a number of major operations, and he decided to raise money for the charity after it granted his wish to meet Buzz Lightyear, so other children like him can have their wishes granted too.

He picked the target of £25,000 to celebrate the charity’s 25th anniversary, and with the help of his family, friends and the community has now managed to raise over £12,500.

Holidays he has celebrated so far include Biscuit Day, Fish Finger and Custard Day, Ear Muffs Day, Kite Flying Day, and Chocolate Day.

For National Chocolate Day he was invited to one of chocolatier Oliver Dunn’s chocolate parties, where he made various shapes including his own chocolate moustache and a chocolate Minion to be auctioned off for the charity.

His mum Kelly said: “Luke was thrilled to have his very own chocolate party after he had to cancel his plans for one last year when he was very poorly.Things always work out in the end and what better way to have had one than having the place all to himself with his very own chocolate.”

Last week Luke was on holiday in Wales with his family, but he didn’t let that stop him, and celebrated Town Crier Day in Llandudno, even receiving a surprise visit from the town’s mayor.

An upcoming event that the whole community can get involved in is Watermelon Day on Sunday, August 2, when there will be an outdoor screening of Dirty Dancing at Hawk Green Cricket Club in Marple.

Entry to the event is free and there will be a barbecue and bar where they will be making watermelon cocktails.

The doors will be open from 7.30pm and the film, which is rated certificate 15, will be on at 9pm.

The film will be shown by Inflataflix, an inflatable cinema.

For more information visit celebrateadaywithluke.co.uk, follow @celebrateluke on Twitter or search for the campaign on Facebook.