MORE THAN £3,000 has been raised to fund a new wheelchair for a six-year-old girl with complex needs at a family fun day.
The event, which took place on Saturday, August 31, aimed to raise money for Bella Brooks, who was born with a gene variation called SC2NA which her parents say is 'simply a spelling mistake in her DNA'.
The missing gene means Bella suffers from epilepsy, developmental delay, movement disorder, hypotonia and gastrointestinal complexities, resulting in her requiring 24-hour care including waking night shifts.
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Bella, who lives at home with mum Katie, dad Karl and little sisters Emily and Sophie, requires a wheelchair to move around. However, Bella's wheelchair is currently not for purpose, as going over bumps can bring on seizures when she sits in the chair.
Her carer, 25-year-old Jamie Weatherhead, organised a family fun day to raise money for the chair, which will cost £5,255. The event featured Disney princesses - which Bella is a 'huge' fan of - a tombola, a DJ, a bouncy castle and more.
In addition to the entertainment, small businesses from across Basingstoke attended the event with stalls selling baked goods, crochet plushies, sweets, henna tattoos, and skincare.
For evening entertainment, a night of live music, magic and DJing was held at the Wote Street Club from 8pm until 1am to raise funds for Bella.
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Jamie said she is 'blown away' by the amount received, adding that the amount is 'going to make a huge difference' to what has already been raised for the new wheelchair so far.
She added: "We feel blown away at everyone’s kind and very generous donations that have been made."
Jamie previously told the Gazette: "It means the world to be able to give back to a little girl who deserves to be comfortable and happy, like Bella.
"We appreciate the little things in life. When people come together and help, it's a lovely feeling really."
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