Donation for riding school which helped girl with ‘half a heart’

Mandy Edwards' daughter Bethan was born in 2004 with a condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, which essentially means that only half of her heart works.

For the past 18 years the family, who live in Celandine Way in Evesham, has fundraised for Birmingham Children’s Hospital to thank them for the care they provide.

This year, they decided to donate the money raised at a recent craft fair to the Cotswold RDA, a disabled riding school based at Cheltenham Racecourse.

Mandy said: “We have raised money for the hospital for the last 18 years to thank them for the care that Bethan has received since birth.

“However she thoroughly enjoys horse riding at Cheltenham based Cotswold RDA.

“They are so friendly at the stables and have been so supportive in coaching Bethan that we wanted to do something to help them.

“Most of the money raised came from our annual Charity Craft Fair held at Leedons Park, Childswickham last year and my husband, Bryan, selling donated house plants.”

Bethan enjoying a ride at Cotswold RDA (Image: Mandy Edwards)

Bethan, now 18 and a pupil at Pershore College, first underwent open-heart surgery at Birmingham Children’s Hospital just three days after she was born, in 2004.

She would spend the first four months of her life in hospital.

Since then she has undergone another three open-heart surgeries, contracted two life-threatening bouts of septicaemia, had six cardiac arrests, several catheters and a diagnosis of Turners Syndrome.

Her family say there have been two occasions it was “touch and go” whether she would survive.

There is a likelihood that she will need a heart transplant in the future.

Since her birth, the Edwards family has raised £27,000 and this week presented a cheque for £1200 to Lesley Gorton, general manager at Cotswold R.D.A.

The same amount will be donated to the Children’s Hospital fundraising team over the next few weeks.