AN URBAN dance group from Oxford is hoping a performance of Snow White will help charity Blue Skye Thinking in Abingdon.

Raw Diva, an all-female dance group which practices at St Gregory the Great School in East Oxford, is putting on Once Upon A Dream to raise cash for the charity.

The dance performance at Abingdon School’s Amey Theatre in Park Road on Saturday, May 30, is loosely based on the story of Snow White.

All the proceeds will go towards Blue Skye Thinking, the charity set up in memory of five-year-old Skye Hall who died last August after battling a brain tumour for a year.

Dance group founder Jenni Middleton said: “Every year Raw Diva raises money for a local charity.

“We’d seen a piece on Skye and his family in the Oxford Mail and also had Blue Skye Thinking suggested to us by a member of staff at Abingdon School, where Skye’s dad Andrew is head of sport.

“We took a vote in class as to which charity we would like to support and it was a unanimous decision.

“What the family has been through is unimaginable. Skye was so brave to endure all that he did while trying to make a positive difference to others lives. He’s an inspiration to us all.”

Mr Hall and his wife Sally set up Blue Skye Thinking to help research into alternative cancer treatments for children.

The family’s story first came to light after the couple, along with their youngest son Jesse, three, appealed to the public through the Oxford Mail when they were trying to tick items off Skye’s ‘bucket list’ of things to do before he died. After their request appeared, the family was inundated with offers of help.

In a final message to his supporters before he died, Skye said: “Remember to make the most of what you’ve got.”

As reported in the Oxford Mail, last week his charity reached its goal of £120,000, enough to fund a four-year PhD research post at the Northern Institute for Cancer Research. Based at Newcastle University, the researcher will work on finding new treatments for childhood brain tumours. The Halls now want to raise £200,000 to fund a post-doctoral researcher for three years.

The 18 members of Raw Diva hope to raise a minimum of £2,000 and have already made more than £500 from car boot sales, fancy dress days and cake sales.

Mrs Hall said: “We are so grateful to Raw Diva. Everyone has made such a brilliant effort. Research is key to our charity’s goals. and we know that With better treatments in place, other families won’t have to go through what we did.”

Tickets cost £15, or £12 for concessions, and can be bought at rawdiva.co.uk or abingdon.org.uk.

To donate visit justgiving.com/RawDiva or text DIVA94 £3 to 70070.