Keeping their mother's memory alive

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Thirteen-year-old Thomas and brother Harry, 10, lost their mother Karen Ingram to cancer earlier this year.

With father Mike too upset to organise a fundraising event in her memory, Thomas and Harry, of Portsmouth, set out to do it themselves in secret.

Thomas found a venue, a place where the whole family had once had a great day out, and persuaded local entertainers to perform for nothing.

The event was a huge success, but Thomas believes it is only the start.

Mrs Ingram was diagnosed with two types of lymphoma in September last year.

She immediately started chemotherapy at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.

Underground Ernie

But by July this year Mrs Ingram was in terrible pain again - the cancer had grown.

The doctors told her husband there was nothing more they could do for her.

"So we called Thomas and his younger brother Harry out of school and told them what was happening," Mr Ingram said.

Thomas had sat at his mother's hospital bedside every night with Harry, and the boys were with her when she died on 13 July.

Immediately after, Thomas wanted to so something in her memory.

Loads of people came and we raised about £3,500. I was so happy

Three weeks after his mother died, Thomas asked his father but Mr Ingram was still grieving too deeply to consider it.

Thomas told BBC Radio 5 Live why he wanted to give something back to the hospital.

"The staff at the hospital used to give us blankets and make us drinks.

"I just wanted to give something back to them because they were so nice to us when we were there."

So Thomas starting making plans.

"We contacted Eastley Lakeside railway in Hampshire, and we asked them if we could do a charity event there in August," he said.

"They wrote back the next day saying we could do it free of charge."

Thomas then decided he wanted to get the train from children's show Underground Ernie to appear at the event.

He found out it would cost £1,000 not including VAT or delivery, which was not the answer he was hoping for.

They've helped me so much when it probably should have been the other way round Mike Ingram

"I said to them in a reply that we were trying to raise funds rather than spend them," he said.

So he found the name of the show's creator, John Deery, and e-mailed him directly.

Mr Deery replied the next day, and said he would lend Underground Ernie for free.

Harry organised the raffle, and planned games and activities for the event.

Despite all their hard work, Thomas was not sure it would all work out in the end.

"I was worried no one would turn up. But loads of people came and we raised about £3,500. I was so happy."

Funds have already been donated towards three digital keyhole operating theatres at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, where Mrs Ingram was treated.

FA Cup

Following the success of his charity night, Thomas plans to raise more money.

Next week there is a rock night at a local dance hall in memory of his mother, and he is also selling £1,000 of pantomime tickets.

They are charging children £2 to have their photo taken with the FA Cup.

Thomas has also started a Facebook page called KidRelief.

His father said the idea was to get every single schoolchild to do a charity event at a school.

"Thomas believes that if you could get every school kid in Britain to pay £1 towards charity or do a charity event you could raise an awful lot of money," he said.

Mr Ingram added that he was very proud of the way his sons coped with their mother's death.

"It's a steep learning curve - I didn't realise exactly how much women did around the house, to be honest with you.

"And the boys will agree with me, as I set fire to the oven the other week. But a new oven's coming today so we're fine."

"I'm so proud of both my boys," he added.

"They've helped me so much when it probably should have been the other way round."