Management at the Theatre District heard about the story of Ashley, who suffers from a rare form of cancer, and wanted to help him raise awareness of his plight and give him and his family an extra special Christmas. Ashley needs to raise more than £500,000 to receive groundbreaking treatment in America. Ashley will be the special guest of honour on Saturday 5th, which will include entertainment for the whole family. The event will also be in aid of Spinal Injuries.

Free fairground rides for children supplied by Keith Emmett; appearances from some of the City’s lovable mascots, including Sonic the Hedgehog; Gully Mouse; Twizzle; Mooey and many more will be at the Theatre District for the grand switch on. The Milton Keynes City Orchestra will play out a host of Christmas favourites and will be supported by a local choir that everyone can join in with.

At 6pm, Ashley will have the great honour of flicking the switch to illuminate this year’s 20ft Christmas tree. Pizza Hut has also offered Ashley and his sister and mum and dad a complimentary three course meal after the event, plus a raffle prize of a kids party to win.

Sara Mills, spokesperson for the Theatre District said: “We hope to raise as much money on the day as possible for Ashley but we ultimately want to give this very brave young man a fun and exciting Christmas. This will be a wonderful event for everyone in Milton Keynes to come down and join in with and it’s completely free.”