Generous customers helped a Whittlesey butcher’s raise over £1,820 for a young boy battling cancer.
Staff at D B Freemans and Daughters in Causeway dressed up as the belles of St Trinians on Saturday to raise money for two-year-old Taylor Kemp and his family.
The fancy dress fun followed a Friday of dressing in pyjamas for staff at the butcher’s and prompted customers to make donations and also buy raffle tickets throughout the day.
Organiser Tania Parsons, who runs the butcher’s with her dad David Freeman, said they were overwhelmed with people’s generosity.
“We just can’t believe how generous people have been. It is an amazing total and far exceeded our expectations. I spoke to Taylor’s mum Leanne on Monday night and they were just so grateful,” explained Tania.
Taylor is due to start chemotherapy for the aggressive form of cancer he was diagnosed with less than a month ago this week.
He has already lost his right eye to the disease, which was found after Taylor, who has an elder brother Kyle and older sister Ellie, was taken ill at pre-school.
He became lethargic and was bumping into things at pre-school and was taken to hospital where his parents Leanne and Shaun Kemp were given the devastating diagnosis.
Further tests showed the cancer has spread to his other eye and possibly into his bones and is also re-occurring.
The family, from Dogsthorpe, have been forced to close their fruit and vegetable shop in Fletton, while they try to cope with Taylor’s illness.
Tania and other staff at the butcher’s have known Taylor’s family, who used to live in Whittlesey, for over eight years as they are regular customers. They have known Taylor and his brother and sister since they were born.
“It is heartbreaking what they are going through and we just wanted to do something to give them a good Christmas. They have so much to deal with at the moment and are having to close the business, which is going to make things financially hard for them,” said Tania, whose daughter Lian Parsons also fundraised at her hair salon Goldilocks Hair Studio in Ramsey on Saturday.
A collection bucket will be kept at the butcher’s over the coming weeks and months in the hope customers will donate loose change.
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