A CHARITY that supports children with life-threatening conditions has raised a record £159,000 at its annual summer ball.
Wipe Away Those Tears was founded in 2006 by husband and wife team Gail and Jason O'Shea and since then it has collected £1.1 million to help children and their families who are going through difficult times because of disability or illness.
This year's black tie event for 300 guests took place at the couple's home in Mores Lane, Pilgrims Hatch, on June 29.
As well as dinner and dancing, the ball featured a raffle with prizes including a meal to be cooked at home by a Michelin-starred chef, a Sugar Hut VIP experience, a ticket to see JLS and Jessie J in concert, diamond jewellery and a tour of Big Ben.
Among the guests was nine-year-old Daisy Palmer, from Langdon Hills, who suffers from the rare, debilitating illness known as Chronic Intestine Pseudo-Obstruction.
The condition means she has to be fed intravenously.
Mrs O'Shea said: "It was an absolutely fantastic event and we are really pleased at the amount that has been raised – to raise that amount and beat last year's total of £150,000 was brilliant.
"We had 300 guests who all really enjoyed themselves but this is for all those children who are having a tough time and we want to help as many as we can."
One of the most recent beneficiaries of the charity was seven-year-old Harrison Major who beat a potentially fatal strain of meningococcal septicaemia at the end of 2011 but was left struggling to walk after developing sclerosis of the hips. As previously reported in the Gazette. the wheelchair his family had was too big for him, but thanks to Wipe Away Those Tears, the Pilgrims Hatch youngster now has one that fits perfectly.
Mrs O'Shea added: "We have no cures to offer and all too often some of our wishes will end in sadness, but during desperate times when there seems to be no hope we aim to wipe away those tears and bring a sparkle into the lives of these special children, no matter how big or small."
If you live in Essex and think that the charity could help you, e-mail gail@ wipeawaythosetears.org and tell them how they can help, giving them as much background and information as possible.
For more information visit www.wipeawaythosetears.org
