A teen from Bournemouth raised more than £22,000 for seriously ill children in collaboration with Youtuber Daz Black and his fans. 

James Simpson, 19, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2022, joined hands with Daz Black and hosted a five-and-a-half-hour Halloween themed stream in aid of Rays of Sunshine.

The charity works for the lives of seriously ill children across the UK by granting wishes and providing ongoing support in hospitals and within the community. 

(Image: Rays of Sunshine)

With the help of Rays of Sunshine, James's wish to meet his favourite Youtuber was fulfilled and he was able to go through his scare maze attraction at Alton Towers last year.

James said:  “He was everything I had in my head he would be – so genuinely nice and funny.

"I remember asking him about his older videos from 2018 and his Vine channel, and we had such a good time.

"I know they say you shouldn’t meet your heroes, but Daz was just so great, and he really put me at ease."

Both of them started their night by trying out the maze. James’s family spent the rest of the weekend at Alton Towers involving scare mazes and rollercoasters. 

(Image: Rays of Sunshine)

Daz (real name Darren Black), was very keen to fundraise for Rays of Sunshine to help others like James, who can have their own wish granted.

Daz said: “The entire night was an absolute blast, and I am so grateful to have such amazing supporters, who can help me raise money and awareness for a cause that is so important to me. 

“I was lucky enough to be part of James’s wish so I’ve seen the magic these wishes offer first-hand. I’m so proud that we’ll be able to make even more wishes happen with the money we raised.”

(Image: Rays of Sunshine)
Amy Chambers, director of fundraising and communications at Rays of Sunshine, says: “We can’t thank Daz, his team and all his fans enough for their generosity and effort put into this ‘spooktacular’ fundraiser."