FELIXSTOWE painter Pat Weber has finally reached her goal to raise more than £10,000 to help research the cancer that took the life of her father.Miss Weber raised money by being sponsored to paint murals for sick youngsters as well as plucking up all her courage to abseil down the maternity block at Ipswich Hospital.

FELIXSTOWE painter Pat Weber has finally reached her goal to raise more than £10,000 to help research the cancer that took the life of her father.

Miss Weber raised money by being sponsored to paint murals for sick youngsters as well as plucking up all her courage to abseil down the maternity block at Ipswich Hospital.

She first featured in the Evening Star in November when she was looking for someone to donate a wall for her to paint murals on to raise money and awareness for charity Kidney Cancer UK.

Her father Tony Weber died from Kidney Cancer last July aged 57 and until his diagnosis, did not even realise that type of cancer existed.

It is now the tenth most common cancers in men and 15th in women and despite being one of the fastest growing cancers, kidney cancer receives a tiny fraction of the resources given to other types of the disease.

But now the charity is £10,357 better off thanks to Miss Weber's artistic talents.

Miss Weber of Rosemary Avenue, Felixstowe painted a Winnie the Pooh mural at the Children's Hospice and also flower fairies on the wall at the Special Care Baby Unit at Ipswich Hospital.

She said: "This is my last fundraising event for the charity.

"Raising the money has made me feel like I have done something really worthwhile as I have never done anything for charity before.

"The abseil in 2002 was great but the most satisfaction came from painting the murals for sick children as they now get to benefit from the colourful characters I have painted on the previously plain walls.

"Raising money for KCUK has in its own way helped me deal with the loss of our Dad, as I know he would have been really proud."

Miss Weber said a huge thank you to everyone who had donated money and supported her.

She said: "Special thanks have to go to Mike Renshaw (Secretary of KCUK) for all his help with Dad when he was ill, as Mike still continues to help run KCUK despite having the cancer himself and that was the very reason I decided to do something to help."

n. Are you raising money for something that is close to your heart? Write to us at Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or click on to the forum at www.eveningstar.co.uk.

WEBLINK - www.kcuk.org