THIS year’s annual Olly Wilkes Memorial Fishing Contest has raised a record amount of nearly £3,000 which will be donated to help children with brain tumours.
The event was held at Elmbridge Fishery, Droitwich, on Sunday August 4.
Brierley Hill dad Simon Wilkes has been organising the contest each year in memory of his son Olly who died in April 2017, aged just 22.
A total of £2,861.77 has been raised for Birmingham Children's Hospital and charity appeal to fund an MRI scanner for children with brain tumours.
Simon, from Withymoor, who was joined by wife Lynn and son Ben at the event, has said “a massive thank you to all who continue to support us and our Olly’s memorial events”.
He added: “The first memorial fishing contest in 2018 raised £350 which was a wonderful amount, six years on this happens. Just wow.
“Ben, Lynn and myself cannot thank everyone enough.”
In a serendipitous twist of fate, this year’s event was won by Adrian Passey - father of 24-year-old Ryan Passey who was fatally stabbed in Stourbridge nightclub Chicago’s on August 6 2017.
It's been an emotional few days for 61-year-old Ada, as he’s known, as he marked the seventh anniversary of Ryan’s death with the annual Ride For Justice on Saturday August 3 which saw motorcyclists ride through Stourbridge and Cradley.
Simon said: “It was written in the stars for Ada to win, it was absolutely brilliant.”
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