Wisbech schoolgirl Shyla Brown smashes fundraiser target for fellow Peckover School pupil

Schoolgirl Shyla Brown has raised over £800 for a friend and his family to make memories.

Shyla, eight, was inspired to do something to help her fellow classmate at Peckover School, Harrison Dodkin.

Harrison and his eldest brother Finley have both been diagnosed with Battens Disease, strand CLN3, a life limiting and degenerative neurological disease will not only tak their sight, their memory and thei physical abilities but will also take them from their parents and middle brother Arthur too soon.

The family have been running a Pedal4Memories appeal aimed at raising cash to help the boys and their parents Sarah and Ben to make memories – all money raised is split between the family and the Battens Disease Family Association – a charity which offers support for families with children who have the disease.

Shyla – the eldest child of Blair Simpson and Dean Brown – organised a lemonade stand to be held at her grandparents, Diane and Bob Gould’s pub, the Highwayman in West Walton.

Blair, of Newton in the Isel, said: “She had a target of £170 but has managed to raise over £800 – she is totally made up by how much she has made.

“She has seen how Harrison has changed recently, he is now walking with a cane, they have been friends since they started school and she just wanted to do something to help.

“We knew customers at the pub would be supportive, but we never imagined raising quite so much. I know the family are looking to buy Merlin tickets and this amount is a fair chunk towards that.”

The lemonade stand was set up in the pub car park on Easter Saturday and saw Harrison and his family come along to support it.

Blair, who has two other children, Harlow, six and eight-month-old Kylo, said: “It was pretty emotional to have the family come along. They are such a lovely family, and my heart goes out to them.”

Harlow did her bit to help by scouring the car park for lost change and found quite a lot of coins in her search which were all added to the total.

Blair added: “Shyla now has the fundraising bug is trying to come up with a new idea on how she can raise some money – so watch this space.”