More than £1,000 has been raised for good causes thanks to a family’s gratitude and the generosity of local people.

When Liam Samuels was six months old, he contracted a life-threatening infection and was rushed to hospital. His mum and dad, Craig and Maxine, feared the worst and endured long nights worrying about their boy who clung on to life in intensive care.

But thanks to the efforts of staff at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and the Evelina Children’s Hospital in London, not to mention the quick thinking of his GP, Liam pulled through. Not only did his story have a happy ending for his family, it had a happy ending for the hospitals as the Samuels family set to raising money for them and the Ronald McDonald House.

Saturday saw a big charity event at the Saltwood Club with a host of activities and games given for free in an outpouring of generosity. Friends of the family in Saltwood decided to hold the fund-raiser in the village.

Craig said: “We had an excellent time, it was fantastic. The Saltwood Club provided their premises for nothing, the bar staff worked for nothing, they arranged the disco for nothing, the children’s entertainer for nothing, a couple of face painters for nothing, a bouncy castle and other stuff.

“There’s a lot of doom and gloom at the moment but despite that we made just over £1,000, it’s great news. We had set aside £300 for a venue but they did it for nothing and that money has gone to the hospitals.”

The money will be split between Padua Ward at the William Harvey, the Evelina Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House.

Liam has just celebrated his first birthday and the charity event was organised for the same week.

The Samuels family, who live in Maxton, near Dover, would like to thank everyone who helped them make their event a success and gave their time freely.