COLUMN: Ollie's story has brought out the best in this community, and that's so wonderful

It's often easy, particularly at this gloomy time of the year to get a bit depressed.
Ollie Gardener, 12 from Aston Clinton has an inopperable brain tumour and his mum and dad Peter and Jane have launched a campaign to raise £100,000 for him to have life saving treatment in Austria on a drug trial. PNL-160310-204721009Ollie Gardener, 12 from Aston Clinton has an inopperable brain tumour and his mum and dad Peter and Jane have launched a campaign to raise £100,000 for him to have life saving treatment in Austria on a drug trial. PNL-160310-204721009
Ollie Gardener, 12 from Aston Clinton has an inopperable brain tumour and his mum and dad Peter and Jane have launched a campaign to raise £100,000 for him to have life saving treatment in Austria on a drug trial. PNL-160310-204721009

The uncertainty of Brexit, shocking and upsetting images from Syria and the baffling weirdness of the US presidential race are flooding the headlines on a daily basis and it’s all quite miserable and worrying,

For me The X-Factor doesn’t help either but there you go.

But in life it is important to, as Monty Python said, look on the bright side of life.

Content Editor Hayley O'KeeffeContent Editor Hayley O'Keeffe
Content Editor Hayley O'Keeffe
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And one story that we are championing as a newspaper is certainly cause for some celebration.

Last week we reported that Ollie Gardiner desperately needed to travel to Austria for pioneering treatment to save his life.

After returning from a family holiday to celebrate getting the all-clear after brain tumour treatment, the 12-year-old Boy Scout and his family were given the devastating news that the tumour was back, and that little could be done.

But, and it was a big but, if the family could raise hundreds of thousands of pounds there may be a solution, a pioneering new treatment with a hopeful success rate which could well save his life. And do you know what people of Aylesbury Vale?

Content Editor Hayley O'KeeffeContent Editor Hayley O'Keeffe
Content Editor Hayley O'Keeffe
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You have stepped up, just this week alone the coffers of Ollie’s fighting fund have swelled to nearly £90,000 and with many, many more events and donations planned, Ollie looks set to have the treatment he so desperately needs. Of course more help is still needed, and we all need to get on board and offer something if we can. 


But how lovely that as a community we have so fervently rallied round for one of our own.

It might be because as a parent you couldn’t imagine being it that situation with your own child, you may have tackled cancer yourself, or you might just be a good egg.

But the fact that so many people have shown that they care in this way is something to take serious heart from. Because the world isn’t all bad, it’s not all doom and gloom and the most important thing is that in the face of adversity we are prepared to try and do something to make the world a better place.

For this reason I do declare that Aylesbury Vale rocks!

Well done you!

To donate to Ollie’s fund CLICK HERE