​Parents’ delight at boost for children’s cancer fund with more than £23k raised at weekend in memory of Adam Watson

Nine-year-old Adam passed away just days before the first mass participation walk around the Craigavon lakes for the ‘B Positive’ charity he established with parents David and Sara.

The event was so successful, the Banbridge couple began planning for a re-run this year – raising thousands for children battling cancer and their families.

This year’s 24-hour walk got underway at the South Lake leisure centre at 11am on Saturday, with the last lap completed just after 11am on Sunday.

Speaking to the News Letter just as the last groups of walkers crossed the finish line, David said he “couldn’t be any happier” with how the event had gone.

"The weather held out and we’re coming home with another £23,000 in the fund, so it has been an incredible 24 hours,” he said.

"We had a lot more people this year, and a lot more people staying for the full 24 hours – taking part and just enjoying the craic and having a bit of banter.”

Groups and individuals from across the community had been raising funds ahead of the weekend walk, adding to the significant sponsorship provided by NIE Networks and the Kingsbridge Foundation & Kingsbridge Private Hospital.

"Our aim as a charity is to supply each child who has been diagnosed with cancer with a suitcase we have got designed and manufactured,” David said.

"Inside the suitcase will be a baseball cap, a wash bag with toiletries for the child, and mum and dad, blankets and maybe even phone chargers – all practical items that would have been helpful whenever we went through the journey with Adam.”

David can recall how hard it is for families to deal with the practical difficulties of hospitalisation, as well as coming to terms with a nightmare diagnosis.

"We literally went with Adam to Daisy Hill Hospital, through the A&E process when we didn’t know what was wrong [with Adam], and we certainly didn’t envisage that that night Adam would be the Royal Victoria Hospital and wouldn’t be out again for 38 days.

"At the start we were living out of plastic bags… and it just to the point where my wife said ‘we need to organise this a bit better,’ so we went and bought a large suitcase to use on and off the ward.

“That’s where the idea came from – there is a practical aid here that could actually help families alleviate a bit of the stress of travelling to and from hospital.”

Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart was one of those supporting the charity event. In a social media post, she said: “24-hour challenge well underway in memory of a wee warrior known and loved by so many.“Just this week marked one year from Adam entered his heavenly home. Today shows that his legacy lives on.

His mum and dad, David and Sara are every day continuing to fight for better services, more financial support and walking alongside those who sadly are on this terrible journey with their kids”.