Blackpool youngster set for 24 hour gaming marathon to help charity for bereaved mums

The family was left devastated after mum Sharon Wardle's little baby, Ezrah-Jae, was delivered stillborn in April last year.

Kian, nine, who is a pupil at Thames Primary School in South Shore, had been looking forward to having a little brother to join him and his other siblings Phoebe, aged five, and 18 month old Tayo.

Sharon, 31, and partner Keith Buckley, 47, who live on Rydal Avenue, were shattered by their baby's death but were given vital help by the charity Sands (The Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity).

Sands provides bereavement support at a time when families are at their lowest ebb, and also does work to help reduce the number of stillborn babies.

Sharon, who with Keith is a carer for Kian as he suffers from anxiety, said: "Sands is a brilliant charity and after their support for us, we wanted to support them.

"Kian heard that we wanted to raise money for Sands and he and Keith decided to take part in a sponsored gaming marathon.

"He really wanted to help and said it would be in memory of his little brother.

"We were really impressed that he wanted to do something."

Kian and Keith are set to stage the marathon Xbox session on Saturday February 26 and have lined up games such as football game FIFA 22, Road Blocks and Fortnight.

Sharon set up a funding site on her own Facebook page and Kian set a target of £150.

He had reached £110, thanks to generous donations, when unexpected support gave the fund a major leg-up.

Sharon is a volunteer for the charity Blackpool' s Voice, which is based on Foxhall Road and provides emergency food parcels and other support for people who are struggling.

The charity funds its activities by staging online auctions but on the most recent occasion, dedicated the fund to Kian.

It ended up boosting his total to £500.

Sharon added: "It's so kind of Blackpool's Voice to help - they need all the funds they can get yet they were prepared to help Kian, it's amazing."

Sue Davies, the founder of Blackpool's Voice, said: "We did a Facebook live auction and everyone could see Kian jumping around.

"One person was very generous and gave a huge donation to get the total up to £500.

"We were really glad to help a thoughtful young lad raise money for such a good charity."

Kian said: "I just wanted to help and I like gaming so it seemed a good way to do it.

"It's a really good charity."