Seventeen year old Tom Winchester from Bridgwater is gearing up for his final charity event as he aims to hit his £5,000 fundraising target for Bristol Royal Hospital for Children (BRHC).
Tom’s ‘Written in the Stars’ charity concert, featuring a live band, West End performers and a drag queen, will be held on Friday 1 September, 7:30pm at Bridgwater Town Hall. It is the finale of a fundraising journey that began last year to celebrate Tom’s 10 year anniversary of recovering from a life-threatening brain tumour.
Photo: Chas Breton.
When Tom was five years old, he underwent major surgery at Bristol children’s hospital to have the brain tumour removed. To thank the hospital for the brilliant care he received as a child, Tom has organised a series of fundraising events including a 14 mile sponsored walk, a Year 7 Valentine’s Disco and a charity football match, as well as taking on smaller fundraising activities such as a table top sale and a bucket collection during last year’s Bridgwater Carnival.
So far, Tom’s events have raised an incredible £3,038 for Above & Beyond, the local charity that raises funds for Bristol city centre hospitals, and he hopes that the ‘Written in the Stars’ charity concert can help him achieve his ambitious £5,000 fundraising total.
Tom Winchester said: “I’m always asked why I fundraise for Above & Beyond and it’s simply because I want to repay the doctors and nurses at the children’s hospital for saving my life all those years ago, and for the fantastic work they continue to do every single day. What better way to celebrate being alive than organising fun events, meeting new people and helping a fantastic cause at the same time. I’ve really got the bug for fundraising and I hope that ‘Written in the Stars’ will help me get to the £5,000 total I set out to raise!”
Amy Barnard-Smith, Community Fundraising Officer at Above & Beyond, added:
“What Tom has achieved at such a young age is fantastic! He’s put so much effort into organising all of these events and has raised an amazing amount of money. We want to thank him for choosing to raise awareness and funds for Above & Beyond that will help us support patients and the dedicated NHS staff that work so tirelessly to care for them.”
Tickets for ‘Written in the Stars’ cost £15 including a buffet and there will also be a bar serving alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks, a raffle and an auction on the night to help reach that all important fundraising target. Tom will also take on a 9 mile sponsored walk around Wimbleball Lake on Sunday 20 August as his penultimate fundraising event.
To buy tickets, email [email protected] or visit Tom’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/toms10yearanniversary for more information. To support his fundraising effort, please visit: http://www.gofundme.com/ng63y8kp