THOUSANDS of pounds have been raised for two hospitals in memory of a young boy.

Oliver Newnes died in October at the age of two from an abscess on his brain.

His parents Craig and Barbara from Whitby, with the help of family and friends, have raised £6,000 to be divided between the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool’s Alder Hey.

The large number of mourners at Oliver’s funeral all made donations to boost the fund and Mr Newnes organised a charity football match at the Castrol Sports and Social Club, where he plays every weekend.

A bench in memory of his son is to be put near the club’s bowling green.

Staff and children at The Oaks Day Nursery, which Oliver attended, each paid £2 to release blue and white balloons into the sky as the youngster was an Everton fan.

Mrs Newnes said: “Raising this money has really helped us through a difficult time. The support we’ve received has been unbelievable.

“There was a huge turnout for Oliver’s funeral. It was packed and everybody made a donation.

“His death was so sudden. He had been unwell and then began fitting. We took him to the Countess where he had a scan which revealed he had an abscess and that it was life-threatening.

“He was immediately transferred to Alder Hey that night but died 12 hours later.”

She added: “There has been a lot of hard work gone in to raising the cash. We’d like to thank everyone who has helped.

“It was very difficult to know who to give to, so we said we’d like the money to go to the children’s wards.”

The couple have decided to continue their fundraising, with Mr Newnes planning to organise a charity golf day next year.