Rushden dancers raise more than £4,000 to help Disneyland dream come true for Kettering boy
4mation Fitness held the fundraiser for Isaac Tilley, six, of Kettering
A dance group has raised more than £4,000 to help a six-year-old boy diagnosed with a form of childhood dementia.
4mation Fitness held a three-hour charity danceathon in aid of Isaac Tilley, six, of Kettering last month.
The youngster has been diagnosed with Batten Disease, a form of childhood dementia which causes children to lose their mobility, sight, speech, memory and eventually their life.
Isaac’s parents Aimee and Adrian have always wanted to take Isaac and his big sister Eva to Disneyland so 4mation Fitness stepped up to raise as much money as possible for the family with their Dancing for Disney fundraiser on September 17.
4mation Fitness is run by Jaki Purser, Zoe Nunley and Carli Mulford of Rushden and they have been running community dance fitness classes for six years now.
Carli told the Northants Telegraph: “We have an amazing community of people who we knew we could rally together for this challenge.
"The danceathon was held at The Goods Shed on John Clark Way and was a showcase of the four concepts that 4mation Fitness teach each week - Zumba, Zumba Low Impact, Rockfit and Clubbercise.
"Along with a cake sale, raffles and a fun photo booth we had a brilliant day, with over 50 people dancing and through ticket sales and sponsorships we raised an amazing £4,013.29.”
A post on Isaac’s Facebook page following the charity event said: “I couldn’t believe it when I walked in.
"Isaac got a clap from everyone as we walked to the front, he had a boogie himself and I danced too.
"The day was finished off with cake and lots of thank yous.
"I cannot thank the 4mation Fitness team enough for organising this wonderful event and all their hard work.”
And the post finished with: “Thank you so much to everyone from the bottom of our hearts.”
Batten Disease is an incurable illness which affects the nervous system, causing seizures, visual impairment, mobility loss and early death.
The NHS website says it usually starts in childhood, with an estimated 25 to 40 children living with the condition in England.
For more information about 4mation Fitness and the classes they run in the Rushden area, click here for their Facebook page.