Pool players bring £4k to the table to help Thatcham boy walk

Helen Parsons, aged 37, of Matthews Close, wanted to raise more than £2,000 to buy a specialised bicycle for her son, Jake, to help build up his leg muscles and help his brain send the right signals to his legs for walking.
Six-year-old Jake was born prematurely at just under 27 weeks with cerebral palsy, a debilitating condition that has left the six-year-old unable to walk.
To raise funds, Ms Parsons set up Jake’s Wish To Walk fund and this was picked up by former school friend, Mark Alexander aged 36, from Thatcham, who decided to hold a 24-hour pool marathon.
The event, held from Saturday evening until Sunday evening, at the Crucible Sports and Social Club, Hambridge Road, raised so much money – £4,000 – that another local child, Molly, aged three who has microcephaly, hypotonia and global developmental delay, will also be able to get a similar bike to Jake’s.
Mr Alexander said: “It went well above our expectation. We were overwhelmed by the amount we raised.
“We had a lot of support, there were about 20 or 30 people who were there for the whole 24-hours.
“Molly and Jake came in during the 24-hours and that helped us get through it – it reminded us why we were doing it.
“The whole thing was an amazing experience. There were tears at the end when it was announced how much we raised.”
On the help it would give Jake, he said: “He won’t be able to walk as perfectly as an average adult but it is going to give him the chance to be able to walk.
“We are not going to know yet how much it’s going to affect him but it will have given him a chance – originally he had no chance.
“Fingers crossed it does as much as it can for him and gives him the chance to walk.”
Ms Parsons said after the event: “It was a phenomenal amount; a few tears were shed.
“It was a bit of an emotional time when they read out how much was raised.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to change his life – it’s a big step for Jake.”
She added: “I cannot put it into words other than ‘thank you’, but thank you seems such a little word for what they have done.
“Probably about 90 per cent of the people who donated don’t know me or Jake – it’s just amazing.
“I don't think people realise how much this is going to change our lives.”
Anyone wishing to donate to the fund, can visit