A FUNDRAISER organised by a couple who lost their son during pregnancy has raised more than £2,200 for the charity that supported them during the difficult time.

Dillan Spencer and his fiancee Lyndsay Murray thanked the Simpson’s Memory Box Appeal (SiMBA) with a special fundraiser at the Ravelston House Hotel, Musselburgh, on Saturday evening.

The couple were busy planning for the birth of their first child, Jack, who was due at the end of July, when their world was turned upside down earlier this year.

Dillan and Lyndsay organised the event, which featured comedy stage hypnotist Acari.

Various items, including a signed Rangers top and signed boots from England stars Dele Alli, Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs, were also auctioned off on the night.

Dillan, who works for Marks and Spencers on Edinburgh’s Princes Street, was pleased to reveal the event had raised £2,213.

He told the Courier: “We smashed our target and everyone seemed to have a great night.

“People have been asking if we are doing it again next year and I just want to thank the Ravelston for having us, the manager and all of his staff, including one who was hypnotised as well.”

However, it was not just staff who were hypnotised, with Dillan revealing he appeared dressed as popstar Britney Spears.

The 25-year-old added: “It was quite stressful planning the fundraiser and it was for such a worthwhile cause.

“When you set a target, you do think it would be a failure if you were not to get it but the support from family and friends, and the Ravelston and the Courier, was great.

“We had a lot of folk who turned up and bought tickets as well.”

The fundraising total could swell even further, with a signed Hibs strip to be auctioned off once it is released next month.

He said: “Absolutely everyone enjoyed themselves and we had to get more tables and more seats.

“We will maybe do it again for when we lost Jack in March.

“The hypnotist has given us tickets to his show in Kirkcaldy in October – at least this time I will get to sit and enjoy it and remember what happened!”

The couple, who live on Pinkie Road in Musselburgh, had been looking forward to becoming parents earlier this year.

Previously, Dillan told the Courier: “Everything with the pregnancy was going perfectly.

“We were really organised and had bought the pram and everything.

“The only thing we had not done was the nursery, which now I am glad about.

“We went for the 20-week scan and we just saw the face of the midwife drop.

“We were told to go to the Simpson’s Unit at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where we were told he had ventriculomegaly.”

The condition occurs in just about one per cent of pregnancies and affects the brain.

Jack was born on March 26 and lived for just over an hour.

SiMBA provides memory boxes, which include mementos such as ‘the blanket of love’, birth acknowledgement certificate, hand and foot prints and, in some cases, photos.

The couple noted that the memory box was not something of tremendous monetary value but added that it meant a lot to them.

A spokeswoman for the charity, which is based on Dunbar’s Spott Road, added: “We are just really thankful to Dillan and Lyndsay for sharing their story.

“We are really proud of what they have achieved.”