Families enjoy entertainment at Hampshire Rose pub and raise money for Hannah's Holiday Home Appeal

The fundraiser was organised by Shane and Natalie Dormer who were supported by the Hannah’s Holiday Home Appeal after their son Arthur Dormer arrived stillborn in 2021.

The charity was established by Pam Marshall in memory of Hannah Westbrook who died in 2004 after she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. Money raised will primarily help families of children with cancer to go on holiday.

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Speaking at the event on Saturday, January 28, Natalie said: ‘With us losing Arthur as well, her charity means quite a lot to us. Pam’s absolutely amazing in what she does and she’s helped so many families, just to give them that little bit of a break away

‘From the experience of myself going through losing my son, you go into a dark place.’

‘Your mental health does take a massive dip. For Shane as well – it is a lot harder to speak out for men because their job is to be there for their partner and their wife and their kids - but they’re going through the same as what we’re going through.

‘Make sure you keep your friends close. Open up and talk because you can go into a dark, dark place and it’s not good.’

The event was the second organised by the couple in memory of Arthur and they hope it will not be the last. Last year their family fun day in Waterlooville raised £1,600, a figure which the pair hope they topped on Saturday.

Natalie added: ‘We’re still keeping his memory alive and we will continue doing it year after year.

‘Some people may find that they struggle to talk but for myself it makes me feel that actually, Arthur’s not been forgotten.

Shane said: ‘Talking and just expressing your feelings and how you are is a big help.

‘It's not just about what’s happening on the day, it's also about making awareness and supporting families going through difficult times. That's why this charity means a lot because they supported us when we went through what we went through.’

Entertainment on offer included face painting, a tombola, guess the name of the teddy and live music from Dave Martin. Members of Hampshire Cosplay for Charity dressed as Ghostbusters, superheroes and Star Wars characters enticed passers-by to come and join the fun.

Lifelong cosplayer Andy Hornby said: ‘It's not the kind of thing we want to have happened in the first place but obviously we want to raise as much money as possible for Hannah’s Holiday Homes. When you see a ghost buster or you see captain america - the kids love it and most of the adults love it too.’

Over the Rainbow founder Tracy Stevens came to the rescue last minute after some other entertainment fell through and arranged to bring some of their Minion and Disney princess mascots along.

Tracy said: ‘We do lots of charities and this one is quite nice because of their circumstances. We’ve experienced that in our family so it's nice to give back.’

Shane and Natalie live in Portsea with their two other children and plan to host another fundraiser next year.