Sidmouth Wear A Hat Day raises £3,000 for charity

Sidmouth’s Wear A Hat Day at the Marine Bar was organised by brain tumour patient Charlie Jackson and is thought to have raised at least £3,000.

Charlie was diagnosed with a brain tumour in early 2019 and underwent 18 months of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, along with other treatments. Regular scans have now shown that what is left of the tumour has remained stable; Charlie describes herself as ‘extremely lucky’.

Over the years she has been passionate about fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, a charity which works to improve treatment for all those affected by the disease; less than one per cent of the government funding for cancer goes towards brain tumours.

Sidmouth’s Wear A Hat event attracted a large number of supporters, who were queueing outside before the venue opened. Attractions included a raffle with prizes donated by businesses across the Sid Valley as well as individuals, a Teddy Tombola, face painting and a cake stall. Mike Dibble acted as compere and spoke about Charlie’s journey over the years.

Mike said: “It was great to see the fantastic volunteers and people who supported it so enthusiastically.”

Simon Card also gave a brief talk about the challenges his eldest son faces with his brain tumour. He said the key elements for everyone affected by the disease could be summarised in four words: Positivity, Optimism, Sense-of-Humour and Hope: ‘let’s all be POSH’.

Charlie said “A massive thank you and shout out to the many local retailers, organisations and individuals who supported the charity event with donations of prizes and vouchers. A huge thanks also to DevonAir Radio who provided the PA system for the day.”

The event organisers also thanked the team at the Marine for their generous hospitality.

Planning for the next event has already started and anyone who would like to be involved is asked to contact Jackie Stamp jackiemerry@btinternet.com or Charlie Jackson - charlie.gwillim@googlemail.com