THE last big fundraising event for a charity set up in memory of 11-year-old Bryony Aveyard raised nearly £8,000.

Bryony died of a brain haemorrhage in October 2008 and since then her parents, Rob and Kath, of Burnholme, have embarked on a fundraising marathon for the charity For The Love Of Bryony – Wellchild, which aims to provide specialist nurses who can help sick children remain at home rather than spending long periods in hospital.

At York Racecourse, the Aveyards held their last major fundraising event with a May ball.

Kath said: “We had a fantastic evening, hard in places but a definite celebration of what we have achieved. We raised £7,779.36 on the evening, which is fantastic.”

Originally, the Aveyards set themselves a target of £50,000, but that target has been well and truly smashed. The current total is £74,000 with sponsorship money still to come in from the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge.