A Norfolk family whose daughter suffers from a skin blistering condition were VIP guests of Falklands war veteran Simon Weston on his UK motivational speaking tour.
Veronica and Michael Pearson and their family, from Holt, have raised £54,000 for the national charity DEBRA, which Mr Weston is the president of.
And he wanted to thank them for their amazing contribution to the charity when they visited the Princess Theatre in Hunstanton.
The Pearsons' youngest child Daisy suffers from the genetic skin blistering condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), which causes constant pain and lifelong disability due to unstoppable internal and external blistering.
Three generations of the family – grandparents, parents, and siblings Joseph, 17, and Daisy, 13 – have been fundraising for DEBRA for over 10 years. Starting with car boot sales, they have raised the money to fund research into effective treatments and a cure for EB.
DEBRA is the only national charity providing life-changing care and support to people suffering from the genetic skin blistering condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) and funding research into the condition.
Mrs Pearson said: 'We were excited to meet Simon, and thoroughly enjoyed his show. It's great that DEBRA and Simon recognised our fundraising in this way.
'EB can be invisible to the naked eye. It causes constant pain and walking any distance can cause severe blistering.
'As a family, we would give anything to take that pain away, which is why we are fundraising for DEBRA.
'We started fundraising for DEBRA when Daisy was one. We've raised approximately £54,000 and Daisy was shortlisted for Young Fundraiser of the Year in 2018.
'The local community has been amazing, supporting us over the years. DEBRA is entirely reliant on donations to carry out its work.'
Hugh Thompson, director of fundraising and communications at DEBRA, said: 'We are grateful to the Pearson family for raising this incredible amount of money for DEBRA, and we would like to thank them for continuing to support the charity in this way. As well as raising funds they have been able to raise awareness of EB in their community.'
To give now, visit www.debra.org.uk/donate
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