Factfile on the huge support for brave Jenson’s journey

Among those to have backed the fund- raising drive, dubbed Jenson’s Journey, were some of the biggest names in show business. Ant and Dec as well as fellow Britain’s Got Talent star Piers Morgan publicly backed the campaign. The household names shared a message from Jenson Journey’s Twitter account with their ownfollowers - £ 2.3m and £ 3.3m respectively - on the social networking website, with Dec even contributing £ 10 to the cause. In response to their message: “Would u rt ( re- tweet) this lovely pic of our boy. dec your my favourite xx”, @ antanddec ( Ant and Dec’s official Twitter account) replied: “done. And I’ve txt’d too! Lots of love, Dx”. The donation which saw Jenson’s family past their £ 55,000 target came following a similar speculative request. Jenson’s mumKatie said: “I contacted celebrities, big companies, chief executives and one just happened to come back. I didn’t expect it, but it did.” Mrs Ford credited “word of mouth” in the success of the campaign, with friends promoting the drive in their workplace. AFacebook group, Twitter account and website also helped raise awareness of the cause, she said. Funds were raised through a wide range of events, including car boot sales, cake sales, raffles, a fire walk, bag packing at supermarkets and even a three- hour Zumbathon. Mrs Ford, whoworks full time at Cross Keys Homes housing association as a senior repairs clerk, said: “Most nights I didn’t get to bed until one o’clock in the morning because I was planning away.” She added: “I need a break, so I’m quite looking forward to the next five weeks. It’ll be a different type of stress.” Both Mrs Ford and Jenson’s father Ian ( 35) have expressed their gratitude, or a “massive thank you” in their words - for all those whosupported the campaign. Mrs Ford said: “Wecouldn’t have done it without your support or help. “It’s going to make a huge difference not only to Jenson, but to all of our lives.” Funds are still being accepted to help pay for physiotherapy following Jenson’s operation. To find out more about the campaign and to make a donation visit www. jensonsjourney. co. uk.