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Tony and Vanessa Day and the charity's mascot, Anstar the dog
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Charity in memory of Anton Day is launched

By Lorna Catling
January 19, 2009

Anton Day’s dying wish to start a charity to help cancer sufferers has become a reality.

Parents Tony and Vanessa Day received an official charity number for The Anton Day Smile Foundation on Wednesday, December 30.

The Bullbrook couple’s first aim for the charity is to raise £50,000 for a memorial garden to the former Garth Hill College pupil who died aged 24 from leukaemia in September.

What are your memories of Anton? Share them here.

And they have already found a mascot in their new puppy – Anstar the dog, named after Anton and the charity’s star logo.

Tony said: “It’s exciting because we are doing what he wanted to be done and we want to make a good go of it, but it’s also sad because he’s not here with us.

“It’s a double-edged sword, but the thing that has been keeping us going has been the charity.

“We are very determined people, we have got great support from friends and family and we are going to really push it and see what happens.”

Donations and fundraising events have already been going on and the couple were presented with a cheque for £791.68 raised at a Christmas fun evening at Moss End Garden Centre, which also raised money for Sebastian’s Action Trust.

Just under £5,000 has already been raised for the garden, which will be at the new Oxford Cancer Care Unit at Churchill Hospital.

Tony and Vanessa visited the garden site on Tuesday and saw the ward sister who helped care for Anton.

Tony said: “We are going to be allowed quite a lot of input into the garden so it was fantastic to see it.

“It was very emotional but a real boost.”

Another boost for the couple has come from Steve Hyde, owner of Moss End Garden Centre, where Tony is a co-partner, who has given them a shop unit on the site rent free for life.

It will be run by Vanessa as a charity shop and will hopefully be open by the end of February.

Other fundraising events planned include dance nights on Valentine’s night at South Hill Park and on Saturday, March 14, at Bird Hills Golf Course, near Maidenhead.

And a charity golf day is planned for Saturday, March 20, at Sherfield Oaks Golf Club, near Basingstoke, complete with a two-course buffet and raffle for £32 per person.

For tickets and more information call Tony on 07719 204000.

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