THOUSANDS of pounds have been raised to help a family make lasting memories with their son.

The family and friends of Charlie Townsend have raised £7,220 through fundraising events, organised in the hope of raising enough for the five-year-old to go on a dream holiday.

Charlie, who lives in North Lane in Astley with parents Gemma and Shaun, was diagnosed with West Syndrome, which is a rare form of epilepsy, cerebral palsy and neurological movement disorder dystonia at an early age.

Much of the money was raised by a family fun day organised by Charlie’s aunt Dawn Killey and her daughters Leigh and Morgan She said: “I just want to thank everyone on behalf of Gemma and Shaun.

“The whole day was absolutely fantastic, it was a huge success. We never expected so many people to come or to raise so much.

“The family are going to use the money for a trip to Disneyland Paris so they can create as many memories as they can with Charlie.”

The fun day raised around £5,000 with more than £2,000 being made from a charity football match organised by Howe Bridge Mills and Paul White.

After spending several months in hospital, Charlie came home to live with his parents, brother Elliott and sister Alysha where he requires 24 hour palliative care to manage the pain and symptoms of his illness.

Dawn explained: “Charlie can’t see but he can hear what’s going on around him and a holiday to Disneyland would be amazing.

“The family will hopefully travel to Paris on the train as Charlie isn’t able to fly.”

The fun day, held at Leigh Miners on November 15, included a bouncy castles and face painting as well as pies and peas, chilli and hotdogs and cake stalls and a raffle.