A town's generosity has helped break through the £5,000 barrier of a support fund for critically-ill Atherstone Ball Game steward Martyn Kellegher-Burton.

Atherstone woke this morning to the news the JustGiving page is now showing £5,015 – thanks to a £20 donation from Lynn Jacob tipping it over its revised target.

The page was started with the support of the ball game's new committee after it took the brave decision to halt the event for the first time in living memory when realising the seriousness of the long-serving official's condition

The 38-year-old was taken ill with cardiac episodes midway through the 821st running of the Shrovetide event going back to the days of King Richard the Lionheart – and paramedics reportedly twice revived the father-of-two inside the ball game headquarters at Atherstone Conservative Club.

His wife, Stacey, has spoken of the "kind people of Atherstone" – sending a massive 'thank you' for all the messages of support for her stricken husband who was airlifted from last Tuesday's event to the Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry.

The page, begun with the support of the Atherstone Ball Game's new committee, initially set a modest target of £821 – £1 for every year the event has been run since 1199.

That was raised to £1,821 and subsequently to £5,000.

The page comes with the stark message that the cardiac episodes are "likely to be life-changing" for Mr Kellegher-Burton, who has two children aged three and just 12 weeks.

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