A mum from Dorset has spoken of her pride after a cancer charity received a sizeable donation from an animation venture originally started by her late son.
Sue Gould's son Edward - known as Edd - created the animated comedy web series Eddsworld.
He sadly died in 2012 aged just 23 after suffering from leukaemia for six years. Edd’s family and friends were keen to keep Eddsworld going and ten years later it’s still growing - reaching an audience of more than 4 million young viewers around the world.
In memory of Edd, Eddsworld has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly CLIC Sargent), donating almost £98,000. This includes a recent donation of £17,500, raised as part of a one-month sale of limited edition items on their online shop. Every penny of the profits (£35,000) were divided evenly between the charities Young Lives vs Cancer and Medicinema.
Edd, who drew, animated, did voice work, and developed games for Eddsworld online, was a frequent visitor to Dorset - his family had a holiday home in the west of the county.
Mum Sue, who now lives in Abbotsbury, said: “Edd was an incredibly creative, kind person and it means a lot to us that Eddsworld remains so popular and our followers are able to help charities in Edd’s name. As well as donations to charities such as Young Lives vs Cancer, which helped us, we also have our home 'Edd's Place' in Weymouth. This is a place where families of children and young people with cancer can enjoy a free stay, as it’s hard to explain to people how difficult a time it is for the whole family whilst their child goes through treatment for cancer.”
Eddsworld, below, follows the 'misadventures' of three friends - Edd, Matt and Tom.
After Edd's death, production of Eddsworld was passed on to his friend Thomas Ridgewell, then later Matt Hargreaves.
Liz Blunt, Senior Fundraising Engagement Manager at Young Lives vs Cancer, said: “It’s very upsetting to hear that Edd passed away at such a young age from cancer. I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone from Eddsworld for their incredible support for children and young people with cancer.
"We can only provide our essential service thanks to people like Sue and everyone at Eddsworld. We are really grateful for this very generous donation.”
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