SCRUMPTIOUS sandwiches, tasty tea and colourful cakes were on offer at a fundraising afternoon tea party.
The event took place at Stansted House, in Rowlands Castle, and was organised by Stacey Triggs.
Stacey, of Drayton, Portsmouth, put on the party to raise money for Jude Allen, two.
As previously reported, the tot suffers from a rare intestine disorder, which means he needs to be fed through a tube for 16 hours a day.
His parents Kellie, 34, and Darby, 40, of Purbrook, needed to raise around £700 to buy a special chair called a P-pod, which is not available on the NHS.
Kellie Allen, a private neo-natal nurse, said: ‘Jude has Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), which means he has a line attached to his heart that provides him with the nutrients he needs.
‘It means it bypasses his gut and stomach.
‘He can’t have solid food and it’s important this line doesn’t move.
‘This P-pod is a special chair, which he can sit or lay on and would be secure for his TPN.’
Stacey, 24, stepped in to help.
She said: ‘I’ve known the family for about 10 years and Kellie’s children are like my nephews.
‘When I heard about this chair I wanted to help.
‘Darby usually organises golf days for fundraising, so I thought I would do something for the girls and organised the afternoon tea.
‘It was a brilliant day and we raised £500.’
The family has also been given a £500 boost from charity Tree of Hope – which means Jude will get to have the specialist chair.
‘Jude will be measure on January 10 by the makers of the chair,’ added Kellie.
‘There are different sizes, so they’ll check which is the best for him and we should get it by February.
‘We will invoice the charity and pay the rest with the money raised from the tea party.
‘We’re so excited and happy about it.
‘Jude had a great time at the party and we’re so grateful to Stacey for organising it – she’s like my daughter.’
Jude’s condition is so rare that the family is thinking of taking Jude to a specialist hospital in Ohio, America.
But the trip would cost £80,000.
The rest of the money raised has been put aside for this.
To find out more, go to justgiving.com/kellie-allen1/.
Comments