A caring community has succeeded in helping to fulfil the dreams of a Colne resident suffering from a neurological muscle-wasting disease.
Following an extensive fund-raising drive and a penultimate party over the weekend, Christopher Sharpe (42), who was diagnosed with friedreich ataxia as a teenager, now has enough money to buy himself a mobility scooter and an electric chair.
Last month, we reported that Christopher’s carer Deborah Robinson had teamed up with The Union Exchange’s landlady Maggie Owens to launch “Sharpy’s Scooter Fund”.
Sharpy, whose symptoms include a gradual loss of balance and problems with muscular control and speech, had purchased a second hand mobility scooter in June. However it had to be seized by police, through no fault of his own, due to questions over ownership. By pulling together, Deborah and Maggie aimed to turn something so “heartbreaking” into a positive.
And with the help of residents and businesses they have done just that —raising a staggering £3,000 to “make Sharpy’s life a bit better.”
Mum-of-four Deborah (41) said: “It went great over the weekend — everybody enjoyed themselves.
“Sharpy can’t wait to get his scooter now.”
And Maggie added: “It was absolutely fantastic over the weekend. I can’t believe how many people turned up.
“Sharpy was there the whole time and he loved it.”
The fund-raising event on Sunday was attended by hundreds of people wanting to help grant Sharpy his independence.
It included an array of activities for the whole family to enjoy, including live entertainment, and a bouncy castle. There was also a successful raffle and barbeque.
Deborah and Maggie would like to thank everybody who has shown their support to “Sharpy’s Scooter Fund”.