AN Aberystwyth teenager has raised almost £3,000 in her first fundraiser as she looks to raise vital funds and awareness about a serious disease which left her in hospital for seven weeks.

Lucy Evans, who contracted a rare form of encephalitis, has launched a major fundraising campaign to raise money for the Encephalitis Society and raise awareness about the illness.

The first fundraiser, which saw an auction and entertainment as part of a special event at Park Lodge, saw over £2,900 raised and Lucy wants to thank everyone who helped make the event a success.

She said: “The evening was a huge success and the atmosphere was great.

“I couldn’t have wished for the evening to have gone any better and I really enjoyed planning the event. I’d like to say a massive thank you to Park Lodge for letting me use the venue and to Jim for all the help he gave me.

“A thank you to Huw Bates for all his help and for running the evening with me. It was a pleasure to work with him.

“Of course, a huge thank you to everyone who attended the event, donated or generally supported the fundraising and my story.”

Lucy is planning on a range of other fundraisers after setting herself a target of raising of £50,000, but as well as raising vital funds.

Lucy is also hoping to raise more awareness about encephalitis after admitting she was lucky to be alive after being struck down with a rare form of the illness that only affects one in two million people.

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