Campaign for chef Tim Bilton and his family passes £5,000

The Go Fund Me campaign was launched by friends Laura and Nigel Holliday two weeks ago to help the father of two who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 incurable cancer.

Tim, 47, who was chef patron of the Spiced Pear at Hepworth before being diagnosed with cancer of the eye five years ago, is currently under going immunotherapy which he hopes will give him longer with his two young sons Charlie seven, Henry 13 and wife Adele. The cancer has since returned in his saliva glands and now his leg.

The fund raised £4,000 in it first two weeks, and after being highlighted in the Yorkshire Post last night more than £1,000 was pledged in just 24 hours smashing the fund's original target of £5,000.

Tim and Adele with their sons Henry and Charlie

"We have been totally overwhelmed by the go fund me campaign and feel very grateful that so many people are thinking of us at this difficult time," says Tim's wife Adele.

"All the comments are so lovely for us both to read. It’s been a difficult few years and we are so lucky to have wonderful friends like Laura and Nigel that are doing all they can to help us create memories for the boys.

www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/health/campaign-to-make-memories-for-family-of-tv-chef-with-incurable-cancer-1-9808865"Laura is my best friend and she is like a sister to me and her support has just been amazing. We met at university in York 19 years ago and been best friends ever since."

Laura and Nigel were today swimming a mile across Lake Windermere in the Great North Swim in a bid to boost fund further.

Tim was diagnosed with eye cancer just as he was preparing to open his dream find dining restaurant The Spiced Pear at Hepworth

"Tim is dealing with all of this in his usual determined Yorkshire way and those of you who know Tim will appreciate what a truly unique and amazing man he is, always putting his wife Adele and their two boys at the heart of everything he does," says Laura.

"We are hoping to raise money for the family to enable their two sons, who are 7 and 13 to continue with as normal life as possible at this difficult time and to ensure they can continue to make memories whilst Tim fights this awful disease. There are so many extra costs associated with cancer treatment and living with the disease and we would really like to try and minimise the impact this will have so that they can concentrate on family time and not have to worry financially."

https://www.gofundme.com/msw8x-making-memories