Delight as group can now apply to be a charity (From Worcester News)

Delight as group can now apply to be a charity

8:50am Sunday 28th October 2012 in News By Tarik Al Rasheed

A SWELL of support means a cause set up to help people suffering with rare blood disorders is well on its way to becoming a fully-fledged charity.

Ruby Edwards, a mum from Upton-upon-Severn, set up Funny Blood after her son Noah was diagnosed with platelet function disorder.

He is prone to extreme bruising and bleeding and has to be extra careful when taking part in activities.

Ms Edwards needed to raise £5,000 for Funny Blood to apply for charitable status.

People all over the county have organised fund-raising events to support Funny Blood and that target has now been reached. Recent contributions have come from Adrian Berry, of Dymock, near Ledbury, who made £1,000 by organising a golf day at Ross-on-Wye Golf Club, while Lyn Hancock, a hairdresser from Pershore, travelled all the way to Morocco to raise £1,200.

Having decided to climb Mount Toubkal to celebrate her forthcoming 65th birthday, she decided Funny Blood would be the perfect cause to support.

Although adverse conditions meant her group had to switch their attentions to 3,720-metre high Jebel Oukaimeden mountain, she gamely pulled on her Funny Blood T-shirt and completed the gruelling ascent.

“It was far tougher than I ever imagined,” she said.

“Out of the 11 of us only five managed it, the conditions were treacherous to say the least and a day later no one would have gone up.

“We trekked for up to 10 hours a day, up mountain passes, down into valleys and camped somewhere different each night.”

Ms Edwards is delighted with the support Funny Blood has received and said it was “amazing” that it could now go ahead and apply for charitable status.