Walton family raise £35,000 for charity after baby son fell seriously ill

Marcus and Laura Leverton, from Walton, have raised a grand total of £162,000 for The Sick Children’s Trust to thank the charity for supporting them with free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation when their son, Harry, was seriously ill at 18 months-old.

Harry, now aged nine, was rushed to Sheffield Children’s Hospital as a baby after contracting three viral infections, which shut down his airways, caused a bowel perforation and blood poisoning.

He had to undergo emergency surgery and was in intensive care and put on a life-support machine.

Dad Marcus, 41, a director at Leverton UK, a shopfitting firm based on Harper Hill, Chesterfield, said: “Once again both fundraisers were a huge success and our guests were so generous with their support.

“Everyone had a lot of fun on both evenings but most importantly helped us raise £35,000 for The Sick Children’s Trust, a charity very close to our hearts.”

While Harry recovered in hospital, The Sick Children’s Trust supported his parents at its ‘Home from Home’ Treetop House, minutes from Harry’s bedside. Ever since, the family have been passionately fundraising for the charity – and this year held two charity balls at the Casa Hotel in Chesterfield.

Treetop and Magnolia House manager, Ann Wyatt, said: “We depend solely on donations from our supporters and every year we are overwhelmed with the ongoing generosity from the Leverton family and their supporters. Words cannot express how much their support means to us.”