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Brave boy's death rocks fundraisers
From the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, first published Friday 15th Nov 2002.
THE funeral of a 14-year-old Barnoldswick boy who died just a day after a family friend launched a cheeky fundraising campaign to help him is to be held today.
Marcus Drury, of Ceaders Close, was autistic and suffered from epilepsy.
His health suddenly deteriorated at home on Saturday morning when it is believed he suffered from an epilectic fit.
His mum Andrea Fletcher and 20-year-old Sabaean Myers, of Kirkstall Drive, desperately tried to resuscitate him but he unfortunately lost his fight.
The previous day Sabaean had initiated a wild campaign to raise cash for the David Lewis Centre in Cheshire where Marcus went to school from Monday to Thursday.
He came up with the idea to do a weekend streak around Barnoldswick after the amount of publicity he received by streaking at a Burnley Football match where he was rugby tackled by the club's mascot -- Bertie Bee.
Thinking about it later, Sabaean wished he had done the football streak for charity and began to come up with new ideas.
Sabaean said he wanted to put 'Barlick' on the map and raise some money for charity at the same time.
Followed by film crews from Channel Five show Streakers, Sabean set off on the fundraiser.
He amused hairdressers at SAMS before he went across the road to buy champagne from Rainhall Drinks Company.
Later in the evening, Sabaean collected money from the Railway pub and was given a three-minute naked "ketchup-run" in The Barlick pub to collect as much as possible.
The evening ended with a trip to Bliss nightclub in Skipton where collection buckets were left out for generous customers and an auction raised even more money. Sabaean said: "I knew a fair few people and they were all shocked at first, but everyone was fine.
"I think I was even more embarrassed then everybody else due to the fact that I knew a lot of people and they were all looking at me."
A spokesman for Bliss said: "Most of the time he held a bucket over the front, but when it was not there everyone got an eyeful!"
Sabaean said that the streak was all in good fun and there was nothing perverted about it.
The plan was to continue the streak into Saturday, however the tragic events of Saturday morning meant the fundraising has been out on hold.
In addition to the David Lewis Centre, Sabaean is also raising money for Barnoldswick and Earby Bosom Friends who are collecting to send Barnoldswick's four-year-old Samantha Jones, who is terminally ill with a brain tumour to Lapland.
Sabaean said: "I am absolutely gutted about Marcus' death as well as the rest of his family.
"They have taken it really hard. This has made me even more determined to raise money for charity which will be done in memory of Marcus."
Marcus' funeral will be held at Skipton Crematorium today. Any donations can be made direct to the David Lewis Centre in Cheshire.
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