'˜After all Reggie's been through, he's still a happy boy'

From left, Gemma Frost, Monica Bowen, Reggie's mum and dad, Catherine Burton and Reggie, front, holding the cheque

Pupils at Westbourne Primary School in Emsworth took part in a sponsored walk after six-year-old Reggie Fudge was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia earlier this year.

The disease affects the white blood cells – releasing them from the bone marrow before they have been properly produced.

This can cause anaemia and increase the risk of excessive bleeding, as well as making people more vulnerable to an infection.

A very rare illness, around 650 people are diagnosed each year in the UK.

The walk, combined with their crowd-funding page, raised an astonishing £3,689 – exceeding their total goal of £500 and allowing Reggie’s parents to buy five 32 inch TVs, Xboxes, nine Xbox games and five universal remotes as well as board games and craft boxes.

Everything that was purchased with the money will be donated to St Richards children’s ward and Southampton General Hospital cancer units – where Reggie has been receiving treatment.

Chantelle Appleyard, a family friend, said: ‘I attended the walk myself.

‘It was very muddy. We had very bad rain, most people wore wellies and those that didn’t regretted it. We left filthy.

‘Everyone felt it was important to do the walk and give back to the hospitals that Reggie received treatment at.

‘They give him presents – like big boxes of Lego and so on – every time they do treatments because what he’s going through isn’t very nice.’

Originally, the event was set up with the goal of raising around £500 – but the support of generous fundraisers allowed the group to raise more than six times that amount.

Chantelle said: ‘It was Gemma Frost and Catherine Burton who pretty much organised it by themselves.

‘We all thought it was a good idea just to raise some money really, because everyone has been doing so much for Reggie.

‘Reggie was excited and happy that everyone was doing it.

‘He couldn’t be there on the day but his dad and sister did it and took a lot of pictures to show him. After all Reggie’s been through, he’s still a happy little boy.’