Fashion conscious fundraisers bag £1,000 for Tilly

6:50pm Sunday 30th November 2008

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A community put their best foot forward today to raise money for a County Durham toddler severely disabled by meningitis.

The fashion show and Christmas emporium event at the Derwent Manor Hotel, near Consett, raised around £1,000 for the Give Tilly a Hand appeal.

Tilly Lockey, three, lost both her hands after contracting the disease when she was 17 months old.

Her parents Adam and Sarah Lockey, of Tow Law, were told by doctors they need to raise over £23,000 every year to buy a prosthetic pair of hands for Tilly.

She will get her first ever pair of prosthetic hands in January.

Sarah Lockey said: “The appeal is going really well and today has helped both us and all of the businesses that have set up stalls so it’s been win-win.

“When Tilly came out of hospital I never expected to get as much support from people as I have.

“It’s been amazing and I can’t thank people enough for their generosity.”

Event organiser Mary Kennedy also helped the couple set up Team Tilly, a committee dedicated to the appeal.

She said: “The fashion show went really well, we’ve had both adults and children up on the catwalk and we’ve managed to raise about £1,000 through stalls and raffles.”

For more information on the appeal visit: www.tillylockey.co.uk.