A WIVENHOE couple whose young son died after a brave battle have donated tens of thousands of pounds to the ward which cared for him in his final days. 

Andrew Foster and Catherine Alport have given a whopping £20,000 to the children's ward at Colchester Hospital after hitting their £60,000 fundraising target.

The two visited the hospital on what would have been Rycroft’s second birthday to thank all the staff involved in caring for him before his death last year.

Rycroft, then aged 16-months, tragically died from a chest infection caused by complications associated with Shwachman Diamond Syndrome (SDS). 

During his fight against the rare genetic condition Rycroft had to undergo a bone marrow transplant shortly after turning one.

Gazette: Loved - Ryport was cared for by staff at Colchester Hospital's Children's WardLoved - Ryport was cared for by staff at Colchester Hospital's Children's Ward (Image: Andrew Foster and Catherine Alport)

Since then, Mr Foster and Miss Alport have fundraised tirelessly for SDS UK, Great Ormond Street Fox Ward, and Colchester Hospital’s children’s ward.

In July last year, Mr Foster said “everyone was devastated” when Rycroft died, but the support they have received for their fundraising efforts since then has left them lost for words.

They said: “We have been blown away by the support we have received from all sorts of people – including total strangers – in the aftermath of losing Rycroft.

“He spent a great deal of time on Colchester Hospital’s children’s ward, including his only birthday, so it felt fitting to go there first.

“We will be making further donations to SDS UK and Great Ormond Street Fox Ward, which also helped Rycroft greatly and gave him a chance of life – being able to give these three fantastic charities £20,000 each in his memory is the best consolation we could have.”

Gazette: Battle - Ryport was diagnosed with Shwachman Diamond Syndrome and required a bone marrow transplantBattle - Ryport was diagnosed with Shwachman Diamond Syndrome and required a bone marrow transplant (Image: Andrew Foster and Catherine Alport)

Mr Foster and Miss Alport continued by saying their fundraising efforts have allowed them to provide and receive support from other families whose relatives have been affected by SDS.

“We have got to know lots of other families on the wards and through online support groups and all we really want is those children and the others like them to go home, happy and healthy.

"It's the best tribute we could ever pay to Rycroft.”

Andrew and Catherine are still accepting donations to Rycroft’s page, which is available via tinyurl.com/4n8vnb2c.