EASTENDERS fans can bid for a piece of Albert Square history after a St Albans school decided to auction a sign bearing the cast’s signatures to help one of its pupils who has cancer.
Andrea Clegg, publicity officer at Marlborough School, explained staff and pupils are determined to raise even more money for the treatment of Year 8 pupil Bailey Sarwa.
The 13 year old of St Albans is fighting a recurrence of neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that affects nerve cells.
Anita Casali, mum of Year 9 pupil Olivia Casali, works at the BBC and has organised the autographed Albert Square sign for the auction to help raise funds for the Bailey Sarwa Appeal.
Actors’ signatures include the late Wendy Richard (Pauline Fowler) and Walford legend June Brown (Dot Branning).
Bids should be submitted to the school by Monday, July 16, to andrea.clegg@marlborough.herts.sch.uk
An updated bid list will be posted on www.themarlboroughscienceacademy.co.uk which will show the highest bid but no personal details.
The school has raised nearly �5,000 so far for the appeal with many students raising funds independently, outside of school.
Bailey’s spirits have been considerably boosted after a recent surprise garden makeover at his mum Becki Jones’s house in New Greens.
Becki said that before the garden blitz their backyard was, “literally just grass with a hole in the ground for a makeshift pond. It was hideous”.
A team of kind-hearted people swooped in to transform it for Bailey including staff from Rob Burton of R. Burton and Sons Builders, Danny Williams Building Supplies Acton, Aylett Nurseries, Travis Perkins (St Albans), Maidenhead Aquatics, Homebase, and mums of pupils from Garden Fields School.
Becki thanked the team for their generosity, describing her childhood friend Rob as having a “heart of gold”.
She added: “There are hanging baskets, vegetables, bulbs, ponds with fish for Bailey. It is amazing and really tranquil for Bailey when he is poorly.
“It was really emotional seeing a constant flow of kind-hearted people working on it.”
Bailey has spent some time at school this week after recovering from further chemotherapy, which he is to resume next week.
The appeal is raising funds to enable him to obtain antibody treatment overseas.
To donate go to: www.justgiving.com/Baileysappeal
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