Brave Harry Buckley's mum raises vital funds for cancer charities with summer ball at Craiglands Hotel (From Wharfedale Observer)

Brave Harry Buckley's mum raises vital funds for cancer charities with summer ball at Craiglands Hotel

12:20pm Friday 20th July 2012 in News By Jim Jack

A fundraising summer ball – spearheaded by an Otley mum whose four year old is fighting cancer – has raised more than £3,300.

Proceeds from the event, held at Ilkley’s Craiglands Hotel earlier this month, will go to children’s cancer charities Candlelighters and CLIC Sargent.

The ball was organised by six friends with Otley resident Sarah Buckley, whose son Harry is being treated for neuroblas-toma cancer, the main driving force.

She said: “The ball was attended by 176 people, many of them Otley people who know Harry and wanted to offer their support.

“The evening was a fantastic success, and people enjoyed music from Elvis and Soft Touch, and a DJ to finish.

“The amount raised so far from the ball profits, raffle and donations is £3,329.80, and there is also a Virgin Money Giving page, set up to sponsor my friend Kate who did the mile swim in Lake Windermere, where more people can make a donation.

“We are very grateful to businesses in Otley who donated prizes.”

Writing on the blog she has set up since Harry’s condition was diagnosed last Novem-ber, Sarah added: “Thank you to everyone who came. This was fantastic.”

The blog – harry-buckley.blogspot.com – also describes how Harry has had to endure “months of gruelling treatment”, including several different types of chemotherapy and an eight-hour operation to remove a tumour.

The cancer is now in remission, but he still needs to undergo a course of radiotherapy and six months of further treatment to try to prevent it returning.

Less than 100 children a year in the UK are diagnosed with neuro-blastoma, a very aggre-ssive type of cancer of the nervous system that can affect every part of the body. The disease usually starts in the adrenal glands and spreads rapidly.

Neuroblastoma has one of the lowest survival rates of all childhood cancers, at 64 per cent. Treatment can include surgery, chemo-therapy and radio-therapy.

Visit the website page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/hottenswimmers to donate to Candlelighters and CLIC Sargent.