Kirkbylocal

Kirkby fun days’ thousands

Last updated at 12:49, Wednesday, 09 September 2009

A SMALL community committee has raised more than £8,000 in the last five years through its annual fun days.

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Kirkby Fun Day Committee was formed five years ago and every year since then it has held yearly fund-raising events for good causes.

Every year there has been a local connection with the charity or organisation that benefits and 2009 was no different.

This year’s event was held at Kirkby playing fields and £1,350 was raised for the children’s ward at Furness General Hospital in Barrow.

The ward was picked because of the way it looked after six-year-old Ella Tyson, of Burlington Close, Kirkby, who nearly died after contracting Parainfluenza.

She has now recovered and is back at school again although she still has a heart condition.

Committee member Gillian Metcalfe said: “It’s a small committee that was formed five years ago.

“There was a young girl in the village with a brain tumour and we held the first fun day for Christie’s.

“It was such a good day that we carried on. “The second year we did it for a young girl with cystic fibrosis and then a young boy with cerebral palsy.

“Last year we did it for the North West Air Ambulance and up to this year we’ve raised just over £8,000.

“The support we’ve had over the years has been absolutely fantastic and hopefully we can carry on and do something next year.

“The families of the children always get involved and it gets bigger each year.

“The family from the first year are still involved.”

She added: “The family this year have been absolutely brilliant.

“Weather-wise, it wasn’t a good day but so far we’ve raised £1,350, which is excellent, and it’s still coming in.

“A lot of people supported us and a great big thank you is due to everybody that helped out in whatever way.”

Visitors enjoyed a bouncy castle, a tombola, a tug of war and a display of sports cars including a Lamborghini, Ferrari and two Porsches.

Ella’s mum, Alice Tyson, who helped out on the day with husband Stephen and other family and friends, said: “We’re very grateful to the committee for holding the fun day for Ella.”