KING’S LYNN: Donations sky-high for new charity
Sky diving fundraiser Karl Chown presented a cheque for �711 to local charity 'Reach For A Star'. Claire Moore who started the charity and her 6 year old daughter Olivia were in class to accept the money. Olivia is fighting a brain tumour.
A Terrington teenager became one of the first to donate to Lynn’s newly-registered charity, Reach For A Star, after he completed a skydive for his 18th birthday.
Karl Chown’s spirits soared when he was given the gift of a skydive for his 18th birthday in April and he decided to raise money for charity.
His mother, Janette, said: “I’m a teaching assistant at Eastgate Primary School where Olivia Moore goes to school, I know she has a brain tumour and had heard that her parents were looking to set up a charity and suggested that Karl donate to them.
“He loved every second of the skydive, he was smiling the whole way down.
“We’d only hoped for around £400, but when he sat down to count it all up there was £711. He was so chuffed with himself, I think he wanted to do it all over agin.”
The money was one of the first donations received by the founders of Reach For A Star since becoming a registered charity two weeks ago.
Jim Lewis, one of the founders, said: “This money will make an incredible difference to the life of a child fighting a life changing or life threatening condition. Thank you Karl, you are a star.”
The charity was founded by Jim and Claire Lewis, parents of William, five, and Claire and Stuart Moore, parents of Olivia, six, after both children were diagnosed with a rare brain tumour, called a pilocytic astrocytoma.
Claire Moore said: “We were given a goal of three years to raise enough to become a charity but managed it in just three months.”
Mr Lewis added: “It was quite surprising really, we thought it would take at least a year, but we managed to take in around £12,000 at the September event we held at West Norfolk Rugby Club, which was enough to get us going and donate to Rudham Ward, Macmillan and the Headstart Scheme.
“We’ve also been able to donate around £2,000 to buy a specialised pushchair for seven-month-old Lilly Mae, from Downham, who suffers from infantile spasms West Syndrome, a rare complex epilepsy.”
The charity’s next event is a Christmas Market at South Wootton Asda on Saturday, December 15.
For more info: WishesandStars on Facebook or follow @Reach_4a_Star on Twitter.
Since Olivia and William first appeared in The Lynn News in August, both children have shown improvements.
Mrs Moore said: “Olivia is still having chemotherapy and has seen improvements to her sight, while William has had around 80 per cent of his tumour removed.”
William’s father, Jim Lewis, added: “William’s tumour was growing quite aggressively and he had to have emergency surgery which removed most of the tumour. He has since been able to take a few steps by himself and we hope he will regain the use of his hands.
He added: “We’re a local charity for local people and have been able to form a support network for other families in similar situations.
“We deal with all conditions and it’s extraordinary the amount of people who know a child who is sick in the Lynn area alone.”
For more information about upcoming events, or to contact the charity, search for WishesandStars on Facebook or follow @Reach_4a_Star on Twitter.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for King's Lynn
Sunday 19 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North
