Charity events for three-year-old with leukaemia on St George's Day

It might have been St George’s Day, but it wasn’t the famous dragon slayer that was on most people’s mind as Cookham hosted a full day of charity fundraisers.

Rather than the patron saint of England, the focus of festivities in the village on Saturday was three-year-old George Ferriman.

The youngster, from Furze Platt, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in February, prompting his family to set up a Facebook page where well-wishers could show their support and be updated on George’s fight against disease.

And that was on plain show, as hundreds turned out for a series of event and helped raise £3,000, which will be give to George’s family for them to donate to charities that have been helping them.

The day started with prayers at Cookham’s Holy Trinity Church and a bootcamp session at Cookham Moor.

Later, there was a family sports day at the Crown pub, in the Moor, followed by a Strictly George dance event at Pinder Hall.

At the same time, a beer festival was being hosted by the Jolly Farmer, in Church Roaf, which on it’s own saw about 1,000 pints of beer drunk and £600 collected.

And the day was concluded at the Kings Arms, in Cookham High Street, which hosted live music and a charity raffle and auction.

Speaking afterwards, Adam Garrett, who helped coordinate the activities, said: “I think it’s all gone amazingly well.

“The idea wasn’t just to raise money, although we’ve done some before where we’ve raised a lot, this has also been about engaging people and raising awareness and I think we’ve done that.

“It’s about a support network and everyone working together.”