Festival helps charities to tune of £2,500 (From Oxford Mail)

Festival helps charities to tune of £2,500

4:31pm Friday 10th July 2009 in

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An Abingdon music festival organised by a couple whose child was born with severe heart defects has raised £2,500 for two charities.

Andy and Alice Boon’s son Archie was born with life-threatening congenital heart defects last year. Now aged eight months, he had the first of three heart operations when he was only six days old.

Last Saturday, Mr and Mrs Boon held The Yeah Baby! live music event in Abingdon’s Market Place to raise money for the Oxford Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

The event attracted more than 350 revellers.

Mr Boon said: “We are already in discussions about running the event again next year.”

The couple, who also have a daughter, Pixie, aged two, said the RMHC had enabled them to stay in Oxford while Archie was ill. The charity provides free “home away from home” accommodation for the parents of children being treated at Oxford Children's Hospital.

Mr Boon said: “Being close by when your child is ill is essential and RMHC enabled us to do this. We want to thank RMHC for allowing us to be seconds away from Archie at all times.”