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Toby inspires charity swim
THIS heartwarming image shows how a village in Cornwall came together in tribute to tragic Wigan teenager Toby Hart.
The residents of Cadgwith Cove, scene of 16-year-old Toby’s fatal cliff fall last year, braved the freezing temperatures to take part in a fund- raising swim on Christmas Day.
All donations from the charity event are going to Toby’s Gift, the charity set up by the Hart family to raise awareness for organ donation.
Toby’s mum, Sally, 47, told the Evening Post that the Cadgwith community had been a great source of support to her, husband Graham and Toby’s younger brother Stephen.
She said: “We have been back down to Cornwall recently and all the people in the village have been amazing. Toby’s memorial bench is now on the side of the cove and people have been laying flowers and looking after it for us.
“I am now friends with quite a few people from Cadgwith and they send me pictures of Toby’s bench, which is very nice of them.
“The local church also held a special ceremony when the bench was first placed and its inscription reads ‘Sit here and smile, he was having fun’.
“They do the swim every year for different causes and we were honoured that they chose us. They’re just mad aren’t they getting into the water and swimming the cove in those temperatures.
“They’re not allowed any kind of wet suit and it looks like they did it in fancy dress, but it’s great.”
A former student of St John Rigby College and Lowton High School, Toby died a few days before his 17th birthday when he fell 50ft while climbing the cliffs around the cove in July of last year.
Just before his funeral, the Harts, who live in Lowton, received a letter from the NHS explaining how their son’s organs had saved the lives of several people, offering the family an element of solace.
Sally said: “It’s nice to think that because of Toby people have got much better lives because he was an organ donor.
“That’s why we wanted to start Toby’s Gift - to raise awareness so people know about organ donation and why they should do it.”
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Weather for Wigan
Saturday 18 May 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 5 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
