£5,000 raised for deaf schoolboy after Walsall attack
More than £5,000 has been raised for a deaf schoolboy who was beaten up and had his hearing aid smashed by bullies in Walsall.
The fundraising campaign was launched on Friday after news broke of the vicious attack, which saw the 10-year-old boy pushed over, kicked and stamped on.
And in less than three days more than £5,400 has been raised thanks to the generosity of nearly 400 donors.
Michelle Mansell, who set up the fund, said she'd been overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers and thanked everybody who had donated in an update on Sunday.
"Such fabulous support for this crowd funding page," the mother of two from Bromsgrove wrote.
"Thank you so much for each and every donation, kind word and sharing of this page. You are all truly amazing and it's so heartfelt!
"I'm sure it will all give the family much hope after such an awful attack on their young son. Wishing this tremendous young boy a speedy recovery."
Meanwhile local residents have also rallied around the youngster, clubbing together to raise money and present the boy with an Xbox and games.
The attack happened in Lister Road, Beechdale, on September 28.
The boy was chased along the road by a gang of six older youths who beat him up before tearing out and destroying his hearing device.
Police launched an appeal to find the culprits on Friday - and donations have since poured in from across the Black Country, the UK and beyond, with one anonymous donor contributing £500 and another who identified themselves as 'DaveG' sending £400.
The Just Giving page smashed its initial £500 target in just a few hours on Friday and rose above £1,500 by Saturday lunchtime.
Karl Tuffen sent money from Essex, while Shimon Aaronson donated from Israel after reading about the youngster's plight.
The boy’s mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, was overwhelmed by the response, saying: "I really don't know what to say I'm so emotional.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart, I never thought that this many people would care."
As her son’s hearing aid is paid for by the National Health Service, the money raised will be given to his family to provide him with a treat.
Former West Midlands Police officer Mrs Mansell, who doesn't know the family personally but was moved to set up the campaign, told the Express & Star: "I was just so horrified. This could happen to any of our children. You don't have to be disabled, unfortunately you just have to be different, and that's wrong on every level.
"As a nation I think people are more prepared to stand up and say 'It's not happening' and do something about it. The outpouring of love and support for this boy and his family has been amazing. The generosity of strangers has been utterly overwhelming."
She added: "We now need to catch those responsible. There are parents out there who will know if their child has been involved and they need to do the right thing."
Anyone with any information about the attack is asked to call police on 101.
