Brewers Arms comes up for trumps for a Child in Need

FAMILY of a 12-year-old girl left with brain-damage following an operation have been left humbled by the generosity of people at the Brewers Arms pub in South Petherton.

The Brewers Arms – an official sponsor of the Yeovil Press website – decided to hold a series of fundraising activities last night (Friday, November 15, 2013) for a Child in Need rather than the actual Children in Need appeal which was going on throughout the rest of the country.

That Child in Need happens to be Somer Woodley-Dale who underwent a nine-hour operation at Southampton General Hospital on September 4 to replace rods in her spine.

But her heart stopped for 20 minutes following the operation and although she battled back, she was left brain-damaged, paralysed on the left-hand side of her body and unable to talk.

PHOTO - TOP: Beans means Bex Grant at the Brewers Arms.

Now her parents, Paul Dale and Emma Woodley, are raising money to buy a wheelchair for Somer and to pay for her rehabilitation.

PHOTO - RIGHT: Brave Somer Woodley-Dale is seen (front row, left) next to the Sheriff gun-toting lady during the Wild West day at the Brewers Arms in August 2013.

Although Somer lives in Basingstoke in Hampshire she has visited South Somerset a number of times as she has family down here and was only at the Brewers Arms in August where she enjoyed dressing up for a Wild West theme day.

When the Brewers Arms heard of Somer’s plight – they knew they had to help and so decided that Children in Need would be an ideal time to hold a Child in Need night of fundraising.

And it was a huge success. A charity auction alone raised nearly £1,150 while there were other events including Gavin Pinney having his head shaved, Bex Grant sitting in a bath of baked beans, Scott Jackson giving a rousing singing performance and Tash Chant enduring a Bushtucker Trial with bugs and creepy crawlies.

PHOTO - RIGHT: Brewers Arms landlord Duncan Webb gets the cash flowing in during a charity auction.

Somer’s uncle, Darren Hinton, who attended the night of fun at the Brewers Arms, said: “I’m truly gobsmacked at how generous people have been.

"They don’t even know Somer and yet they’ve done this for her and raised all this money.

“It really is wonderful. I can’t thank everyone enough.”

Somer was diagnosed as a baby as having Noonans Syndrome which causes heart and growth problems and scoliosis.

The fundraising continues for the Get Well Somer Appeal at the Brewers Arms tomorrow (Sunday, November 17, 2013) when a quiz is held at the pub from 8.30pm. It will cost £5 per person to enter and will include “hot nibbles.”

For more photos from last night’s Child in Need activities at the Brewers Arms – click on the following link: http://www.yeovilpress.co.uk/blog/2013/11/16/get-well-somer-appeal-at-brewers-arms-nov-15-2013/ .

PHOTO - ABOVE: All smiles at the Brewers Arms in South Petherton during the Child in Need night at the pub.

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