Fletcher sells his favourite toys for St Catherine’s

An eight-year-old has generously sold some of his favourite toys to raise money for St Catherine’s Hospice in memory of his nanna.

Fletcher Boot, from Appley Bridge, hosted a driveway stall and asked members of the community for donations to the charity which cared for his Nanna Christine.

He raised an amazing £350 from selling items including his beloved dinosaur and superhero figures. His mum Lindsay said: “Fletcher has always been very caring in nature and wanting to help others. He is well known in the village because of various gestures he’s made to the community to make them smile, such as hanging small Easter decorations in gardens of 25 houses during lockdown.

“We are moving house and we were sorting through his room when he asked me if he could host a driveway sale. He devised a plan and decided not to charge specific prices, but instead to ask people to make a donation of their choice to the hospice if they wished.

“He held it over a weekend and we promoted it on social media which helped to gain a lot of interest, and he soon captured everyone’s hearts with his stall; he wore his suit on the Sunday as we live next to a church so people came over after church to have a look.

“He gave away books, clothes, jigsaws, lots of dinosaurs and cars, and many household items too. He loves dinosaurs and he took time to show another little boy the dinosaurs, explaining how he had lots of fun with them! Fletcher also gave away his superhero figures which were definitely his favourites, but he was happy to give them to children who will also have fun with them.

“His friendly nature really made the stall a success and he even had people posting money through our door the following week to add to his donations!”

Lindsay added: “The reason Fletcher wanted to raise money for St Catherine’s was because his Nanna Christine was cared for there, and he wanted to help pay for more people to have care at the hospice in her memory.”

Emma Jacovelli, head of community engagement at St Catherine’s Hospice, said: “What a thoughtful and generous young man Fletcher is. To give away his favourite toys so they can be enjoyed by other children, whilst raising money for our charity at the same time is really incredible.

“I can’t tell you how grateful we are for his kindness – Fletcher’s amazing donation will really help us to provide care and support to other local families who need our help. On behalf of everyone at St Catherine’s, I would like to say a very big ‘thank you’ to Fletcher and his family!”

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