Thousands of pounds were raised for the Children of Worcestershire Cancer Fund with the annual charity ball returning last weekend.

The ball raised £9,300 and was held at Stanbrook Abbey in Malvern on Saturday September 11.

The fund was set up by Dawn Forbes around four years ago to support the children and their families during the difficult journey.

Ms Forbes’ hard work was acknowledged as she received the Chair’s Special Recognition Award.

In attendance was the mayor of Worcester, councillor Stephen Hodgson.

He said: “Thank you very much to Dawn for organising such a fantastic event.

“It was also a privilege to be seated next to Dr Baylon Kamalarajan, lead clinician. One of the highlights was seeing a repeat of his ballet routine with colleague Emma Mander in their colourful tutus that was originally performed to a young cancer patient.”

Claire Portman, 41, and her husband John attended the ball for the first time as their 13-year-old son, Olive, is currently receiving treatment at Worcestershire Royal having been diagnosed, aged nine.

She said: “He has had a very difficult journey due to a combination of being very poorly and a rare reaction to one of the chemotherapy drugs, where he suffered a large brain bleed and required a craniotomy.

“We were very nervous attending the ball as we’d been shielding because of Oli since the start of the pandemic. However, once we arrived in the beautiful gardens we quickly relaxed.

“It felt very strange being in a room with so many people, but so good to be ‘out out’. It was the first time we’d dressed up in a long time.

“Dawn is our lifeline, she’s always on the end of the phone, text or email to support us. Her knowledge, kindness and caring nature are exceptional.”

Dave Fletcher, 41, also attended the ball. His daughter Izzy, six, is receiving treatment from Worcestershire Acute hospitals for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia having suffered a relapse earlier this year.

He said: “We have benefitted from the fund in the past, so it is good to support it for future patients.

“It was lovely to see some old families and staff from clinic we've not seen in a while and have a good catch up, and meet some new faces.”