Friends sit in every seat at stadium in aid of toddler needing stem cell treatment
A Shropshire uncle and his friend have completed their charity challenge to sit in every seat at Shrewsbury Town's Montgomery Waters Meadow – raising more then £3,000 in the process.
Ben Vale, 36, from Claverley and Andy Tamplin, 35, spent seven hours sitting in each of the 9,875 seats at the ground.
The pair had been inspired by the plight facing Ben’s nephew, 20-month-old Gunner Lewis-Vale, from Highley.
The Shropshire youngster was diagnosed with a rare mucopolysaccharide disease, MPS Type 1 Hurler, which means his body cannot convert sugar into necessary protein in the body.
He needs a stem cell donor and family and friends had been raising awareness and encouraging people to sign up on the stem cell register.
Fortunately a match has been found for Gunner, in Germany, but Ben and Andy said they still wanted to highlight the need for more people to sign up as donors, with other families also desperately waiting for news of a match.
Andy said the challenge, which had raised more than £3,500 by Friday afternoon, beating the £2,000 target set by the pair, had actually gone better than expected, with both managing to stand up to the physical rigours of the unusual task.
He said: "To be honest I have a bit of stiff knees but I felt alright. Ben had a bit of cramp in his legs but we were okay. Nothing a cold beer and a bit of pizza didn't help."
Andy offered his thanks to the people who had supported – both with the encouragement on the day, and by donating to the cause, as well as Shrewsbury Town.
He said: "I have to say it was good fun. It was great fun. We had out wives and family coming to support us. The children came over when they finished school to take part and help sit in some of the seats so it was great."
Andy said they were "ecstatic" to have beaten their target and said he hoped it had helped raise awareness of the need for more donors.
He said: "It is great to have raised the money and it is fantastic news about a donor for Gunner but how many other people are in the same position, so anything we can do to raise the profile is great."
Anyone who wishes to donate to the cause can visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bumsonseats.
