Mansfield Woodhouse fundraiser's plea for Santa bids to help Skegby teen

Yvette Price-Mear has arranged for Santa to visit five families on Christmas Eve in return for a donation to Jacob Fradgley’s fighting fund – and said she wanted more bids for the visit.

Jacob recently received the devastating news his rare form of cancer, metastatic Ewing’s sarcoma, had returned.

The 17-year-old, an aspiring Army tank driver, has battled the cancer since mid-2018 and thought it was beaten; until learning weeks ago it has relapsed.

Now his mum, Sammy, and family and friends have launched a £5,000 appeal to help them allow Jacob to make memories with his family, including his six-year-old sister Leah Keighley.

And Yvette, of Burnt Oak Close, Mansfield Woodhouse, who has been raising charity funds for 45 years, has dedicated her annual Christmas fight to Jacob’s heartfelt cause.

She said: “Obviously Christmas Eve is Santa’s busiest day of the year. Despite that – and before he loads his sleigh – he’s going to make a personal visit to five Mansfield children.

“Between 1pm and 5pm, Santa has kindly offered to make a house visit and chat to the children, have photographs, read The Night Before Christmas and present them with a framed certificate to prove he has been.

“Santa will visit the five highest bidders, who will offer to make a kind donation to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jacob-fradgley

“However, amazingly I have had only a few bids – one for an incredible amount of money and the others for £10 for each child they would like Santa to visit.

“All are gratefully received because they are given from the heart, but now I have already doubled my original target of £250, we are open to any offers.”

To bid, email [email protected] with your name, address, contact number and the details of your children, before midnight on December 22 – bidders must live within five miles of Mansfield.

Yvette said: “On Monday, the five highest bidders will be asked to pay into the JustGiving fund. Once that is paid, I will contact the winners to arrange Santa’s visit.”