A CHARITY pilates event which took place last week (November 25) to raise money for the family of an Okehampton-born girl suffering from a rare form of bone cancer proved to be a success, raising a whopping £2,500.

Friends of the Richards family organised the event to raise funds to help cover living costs during the family’s stay in London while daughter Nevah (13) receives specialist cancer treatment.

Starting off the day with £1,200, the event, which also included a prize draw, was well attended and, as a result, organisers more than doubled the total amount raised. There was even a visit from the Mayor of Okehampton Allenton Fisher.

Nevah's mum Heather, said: "Words don't seem enough to express our gratitude to everyone involved, the true spirit of the Okehampton community prevails. They raised £2500 through the event itself with only weeks to plan, prepare and execute.  Nevah and I managed to see everyone on the live camera,  which after a really tough week, was sensational and so encouraging to see warm, familiar faces of reassurances. Our thanks go to Lynne Rogers for reaching out to me when I was most vulnerable, but the masterplan came together from our all our dearest of friends."

Nevah was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, which had metastasised to her lungs, on May 25 this year. A form of bone cancer, originating in the pelvis and surrounding soft tissue, fewer than 30 children are diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma in the UK per year.

As case studies are so low, allocated resources are limited to understand the exact cause of primary bone cancer and curative treatment plans, hence why progression over the past 30 years has been finite.

Nevah and her family are currently at the University College London Hospital where she is receiving specialist proton beam therapy, which is an advanced targeted form of radiotherapy, in place of risky surgery to remove the tumour.

Anyone wishing to donate can still do so via the GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/a1f6adc4.