A FAMILY organised a fun-day to raise money for the ‘vital’ hospital staff who saved their ten-year-old little boy’s life.

A fundraising day was held at the Wyke Smugglers, Wyke Regis, in aid of the children’s Kingfisher Ward at Dorset County Hospital where staff nursed George Wilcocks back to health.

George was rushed to the ward in January after a bad reaction to a graze on his arm started to swell.

Two days later George was being violently sick and after multiple tests he was diagnosed with Cellulitis, an infection of the deeper layers of skin and the underlying tissue, which can be fatal if not treated promptly.

His grandmother, Susan-Jane Smith, said: “George is doing very well. The staff at Kingfisher were so, so good to him they were unbelievable, we couldn’t have wished for better treatment.”

As Susan-Jane and her daughter Alison are both members of the charity fundraising group Ladies in Wey-ting, they rallied the team together to organise the activity day at George’s request.

Susan-Jane said: “This cause is very dear to our hearts. All the girls have worked so hard to get it together so quickly.

"We are worried about the future of the Kingfisher Ward which is under pressure with healthcare cuts. We know they are struggling and the service is vital, I feel very strongly that the facility is needed and it is paramount to the area.”

Throughout the fundraising afternoon, children took part in an Easter egg hunt, name the dog, magic mayhem and face painting, whilst there was stalls, live entertainment and cake for the adults.

George’s Mum, Alison, said: “After George had been in the ward and used the facilities and seen how great it was he said ‘next time you girls do something, please can we give some money to Kingfisher?’ “So, he has made a thank you card and we will give it to them when we present them with the cheque.

“We also wanted to raise some awareness.

“ I had heard of sepsis and know how serious that can be, but I had never heard of cellulitis which can turn into sepsis if it’s no treated. Mums and dads should look out for the warning signs if a cut starts to swell.”