Gorilla first prize at charity auction for Porlock twins (From Somerset County Gazette)
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Gorilla first prize at charity auction for Porlock twins
7:00pm Wednesday 11th July 2012 in West Somerset
By Hannah Green
Jake and Theo Shopland with Daniel James and the gorilla he is going to auction to raise money for their specialist bikes. PHOTO: Steve Guscott
A GORILLA will be the star of the show at a charity evening a Minehead hairdresser has organised.
Daniel James will hold the event in Bristol in the autumn to raise money to buy specialist bikes for the twin sons of his friends Adrian and Michelle Shopland, from Porlock.
Jake and Theo, four, were diagnosed with cerebral palsy in 2010 after many difficult months of going in and out of hospital in Taunton and Bristol with health problems.
Daniel has painted a fibreglass gorilla similar to those seen at Bristol Zoo in the style of Michael Jackson to auction as first prize at the event to help raise £1,800 for the boys’ bikes.
He said: “I was going to paint the gorilla and sell it as a business venture but this means a hell of a lot more to me than making money.
“Jake and Theo deserve to be able to enjoy cycling, as any child should, and I hope we can raise enough to buy these bikes for them.
“Any money raised over the amount needed for the bikes will go to Bristol Children’s Hospital, which has done so much for the twins and many other children in the area.”
Adrian said: “It’s amazing what Dan is doing for the boys. He is a top bloke, you couldn’t wish to meet a nicer guy.
“I don’t know where he gets the drive from – I tried to do a similar thing when they were first born, so I know how hard it is. For him to go to these lengths is incredible and we are very grateful.”
The event is at The Kings Arms in Whiteladies Road, Bristol, on October 27 – just days after the boys’ fifth birthday. For more information or to buy tickets – £15 for evening tickets and £2.50 for raffle tickets – visit www.facebook.com/GorillasInTheBristAppeal or pop into Daniel’s salon Something Else in Summerland Road.
