Lewis Capaldi makes 'amazing' donation before gig
Carina ThurgoodThe mother of a woman with a rare health condition said she was "extremely grateful" to singer Lewis Capaldi for his impromptu donation.
Carina Thurgood, from Great Dunmow in Essex, set up The Maddi Foundation in 2016 in response to her daughter Madeleine's diagnosis of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia 15 (SPG15).
The pair were on their way to Capaldi's concert at London's O2 arena on 17 September when they bumped into the Scottish singer and gave him a leaflet about a charity football match for The Maddi Foundation.
"He went away and within about 10 minutes he kindly donated to support our football match. It was just amazing," Ms Thurgood told the BBC.
"He spotted my daughter Maddi, she's in a wheelchair, and came over to speak to her. He's so nice and down to earth, and incredibly generous.
"It was such a lovely gesture from Lewis. He donated a few thousand.
"Maddi was overwhelmed - she just loves him anyway."
Carina ThurgoodOn Instagram, Maddi shared her joy about the encounter, describing it as "one of the best days of my life".
"Thank you for being so kind, for making time for me, and for giving me a memory I'll never forget," she wrote to the singer in her post.
The charity football match is set to take place at Maldon and Tiptree's ground on Saturday, and will see a team of celebrity players face off against a team of bodybuilders from a gym where Maddi trains in Witham.
The Maddi Foundation said its aim was to raise £2.5m to fund research into SPG15, a progressive neurological disease.
It is caused by a genetic mutation and symptoms include learning difficulties, involuntary movements and dementia as well as muscle movement and pain.
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