Charity trolley dash to launch new Shrewsbury toy shop
A major toy retailer will create more than a dozen jobs when it opens a new Shrewsbury town centre store next week.
The Entertainer will open in the town's Pride Hill Shopping Centre on Saturday, October 12, and 10-year-old Danny Earney will do a trolley dash to help hospice.
Danny is used to helping little brother Thomas, who suffers with a rare life-threatening form of epilepsy. But on October 12 Danny will be helping himself . . . to toys.
Thanks to Shrewsbury's Pride Hill shopping centre's newest store, The Entertainer toy store which officially opens next Saturday, Danny will fulfil every 10-year-old's dream and get a whole minute to fill his shopping basket with free toys.
But they are not for Danny – who also suffers with Asperger's and ADHD.
The toys will be donated to Hope House children's hospice, where Thomas, aged 8, is a regular visitor for respite care.
The Entertainer, the UK's fastest growing multichannel toy retailer, wanted to mark its arrival in Shrewsbury by inviting Hope House to be part of a special celebration day event.
It will also feature a special appearance by popular Ben 10 character Water Hazard, as well as goodie bags, competitions and toy demonstrations.
First, at 8am, Danny, of Wilfred Owen Primary School, will dash around gathering toys on behalf of his brother.
Mum Sharon said: "Thomas has autism, epilepsy, learning difficulties and ADHD.
"It's a rare form of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome which is difficult to control and leads to all kinds of different seizures and quite challenging behaviours."
Sharon, and husband David, who live on the Telford Estate at Monkmoor, Shrewsbury, also have two other sons, Max who is three and has speech delay and autism traits, and baby Leo, who is 22 months and was delivered 10 weeks early, to save Sharon's life after she lost too much blood, spent 10 weeks in the neo-natal unit.
"Danny is quite able and looks after everybody. He's very caring and really excited about doing the trolley dash," she said.
David added: "Thomas was diagnosed with autism and learning difficulties at three and then at four he suddenly developed epilepsy.
"It started with a great bang and then he was in hospital and it seemed very touch and go all of a sudden.
"Its calmed down for a while but he has had all types of seizures, some truly awful when he has had to be rescued by medics on a regular basis just to keep him alive."
The family added that they were delighted to be able to give something back to the charity which cares for little Thomas.
