50 Crewe and Nantwich slimmers raise hundreds for Peter Pan Centre

Around 50 members of four Crewe Slimming World clubs stepped out to raise funds for the Peter Pan Centre for Children with Special Needs.

They walked from Crewe to Nantwich and back again as part of Slimming World’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

And the walkers raised more than £400 through sponsorship and on-the-day donations thanks to the generosity of the local community.

Peter Pan Centre is close to group leader Elsie Jones’ heart because her granddaughter Evangeline has been supported by the centre for almost a year.

Three-year-old Evangeline has epilepsy, cerebral palsy and a number of other health and development complications.

She attends the centre for specialist care, education and play sessions where she is supported on a one-to-one basis by specialist practitioners.

Evangeline’s family said: “When she was born, her specialist doctors said that if Evangeline were to survive, she wouldn’t be able to move or communicate due to the significant brain-damage she sustained at birth.

“Evangeline however has refused to take any notice of this and is coming on leaps and bounds, surprising all her specialist doctors when they see her!

“Evangeline’s development has really picked up since she started going to the Peter Pan Centre thanks to the hard work and dedication of the excellent staff who look after her there.”

Elsie added: “The Peter Pan Centre has done so much to help Evangeline and she loves her visits each week.

“We wanted to give something back and Debbie Mellor, who attends one of our Slimming World groups, had the idea of a sponsored walk and it took off from there.”

The walkers were joined by community radio station The Cat 107.9FM who helped give them a great send-off.

Catherine Cook, fundraiser for the Peter Pan Centre, said: “We are so very proud of Evangeline, her family and the Slimming World walkers for everything they have achieved.

“We have been helping to give children with special needs the best start in life for 50 years now.

“As we receive no government funding, this has only been possible thanks to the generosity of our local community and people like our Slimming World Walkers.”

For further information or to lend your support to the Peter Pan Centre for Children with Special Needs, contact Catherine Cook on 01782 715219.