Boy drawing for Sick Kids slammed by 'insensitive e-mails'

Published on Monday 25 April 2011 12:20

A SIX-year-old boy who has raised nearly £13,000 for charity through his drawings is receiving "insensitive" e-mails from people demanding his family send them the pictures.

Jack Henderson, from Prestonpans in East Lothian, has been fundraising for the Sick Kids Hospital where his youngest brother Noah is being treated for bronchiolitis, a condition that leaves him fighting for breath at the slightest hint of cold.

But his parents Ed and Rose have been forced to issue pleas for calm after being "hassled and harrassed" by people chasing up their pictures.

They have even offered to refund donations from anyone who is unhappy at a delay in getting a picture from Jack.

More than 630 people from across the world have donated cash in return for one of his pictures. But having completed 120 drawings in just a few weeks "a minority" of those who have supported his appeal have been accused of sending "insensitive" messages.

The couple revealed their upset on Jack's Facebook and Twitter sites. A statement posted on Jack's website yesterday said: "We apologise for repeating ourselves, but have been left with no choice after being continually asked (in some cases, hassled) by people asking where their picture is.

"They 'ordered' it weeks ago. The very use of the word 'order' implies some sort of business transaction. We are talking about a six-year-old boy and a charity appeal that went a little bit viral."