Walkers raise £2,600 in memory of brave Charlie

A “BIRTHDAY walk” held in memory of a boy who died of brain cancer has raised more than £2,600 to help other children diagnosed with the disease.

Almost 50 people walked from Henley to Hambleden on Saturday, which would have been Charlie Ilsley’s 16th birthday.

Charlie, from Emmer Green, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, the most high-grade brain tumour found in children, when he was eight.

Despite undergoing years of pioneering treatments across the world, he died at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading in December 2020, aged 13.

Since his death, his mother Toni has set up Team Charlie, a charity which supports other children diagnosed with cancer and their families by giving them special days out together.

The walk was the first fundraiser that the charity has held. The
participants completed a 16km circular walk from Henley station, walking through woods and hills to the Stag and Huntsman pub in Hambleden before returning via the Thames Path to Henley.

Mrs Ilsley said: “It was lovely. We all met at the station, we let some balloons off and said, ‘Happy birthday, Charlie’.

“We walked 10km to the Stag and Huntsman and toasted Charlie and we walked the 6km back to Henley. It was lovely with a really nice atmosphere.  It made Charlie’s 16th birthday not so depressing. I thought it would just be sad but it wasn’t. It was really nice to see everyone there supporting us at our first event.”

Mrs Ilsley said that Charlie would have particularly liked the large
dalmation balloon that was released as he loved dogs.

She said: “The balloon didn’t just go up, it went up, came down, then went along the floor before going over a house. It was funny. Charlie would have loved it.

“He would have been proud to think that a lot of people were thinking of him on that day.”

Mrs Ilsley said the walkers all enjoyed themselves despite the cold weather and the hill climbs.

“There were a couple of people with blisters,” she said. “I’ve got anaemia at the moment so I said if I started looking funny to put my legs up and call 999 but I was fine.

“We were all tired afterwards. We went home for fish and chips.”

A group from The Henley College raised £419.

All the money raised will go towards helping children with cancer and giving them days out and experiences with their families. 

Mrs Ilsley said:  “When someone is diagnosed with cancer, particularly children, a parent has to give up work so there’s only one income. You are just paying the bills, just surviving.

“Team Charie is about making memories. It’s giving kids with cancer days out and fun, putting a smile on their face.”