Batman swings by Storrington for charity

Colourful characters from the big screen assembled at Tesco Express in Storrington over the bank holiday weekend to raise funds for a little boy suffering from a rare disease.
Staff at Tesco Express Storrinton raising funds for Little Maxwell SUS-150527-162441001Staff at Tesco Express Storrinton raising funds for Little Maxwell SUS-150527-162441001
Staff at Tesco Express Storrinton raising funds for Little Maxwell SUS-150527-162441001

Caring staff at the shop, in Pulborough Road, collected donations, got their body parts waxed and sold themselves off at auction for Maxwell Smith who has Mitochondrial Disease, a muscle wasting condition.

Store manager John Richards, who also took part in the fundraiser from Friday (May 22) to Monday (May 25) said it was a successful event.

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He said: “There was lots of public interest. He’s a local lad and the community are aware of the charity here.

“I dressed as Batman one day and Pac Man the other day. We also had someone as Lego Man, a Pink Lady from Greece and lots of florescent ’80s throwbacks.”

The three-year-old, who is commonly known in the community as Little Maxwell, was unable to attend, but his parents Emma and Peter dropped by to show their gratitude.

“The parents, Emma and Peter, popped in over the weekend. They were overwhelmed,” said John.

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The staff gave up their time to host a car wash, subject themselves to some painful body waxing and sold their services for the day to the highest bidder.

Staff member Tom Walford had his chest waxed and Adam Cheesman had one of his legs stripped bare to raise the much-needed funds.

“In the auction Adam is going to be helping out with horses for the day for £50,” added John.

Born a healthy baby, Maxwell was only nine months old when he contracted a bad case of tonsillitis and was admitted to the hospital in 2012.

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After a series of treatments, he was diagnosed with the disease and is now unable to move his arms or legs and relies on a ventilator 24 hours a day.

A fundraiser such as this allows Maxwell’s parents to buy specialist equipment that cannot be provided by the NHS.

Money is still being counted by the team, but John said it looks like they have raised just under £1,000.

To learn more about Maxwell and his condition, go to www.littlemaxwell.org