Hundreds gather to celebrate Chesterfield hero's birthday

A host of events took place in Staveley over the weekend as Logan Folger’s family continue to raise money and awareness of safe swimming.

Logan died at Sheffield Children’s Hospital after being rescued from the River Rother, close to the Chesterfield Canal.

The opening of Logan’s inquest heard he was trying to save one of his friends from the water when they got into difficulty on August 18 last year.

Logan's mum, Stacey Bentley, asked the community to come together to help her family celebrate what would have been Logan’s 15th birthday on Monday, May 16 and the Saturday before.

Events on Saturday included a fundraiser at Morrisons in Staveley to help children at Staveley Junior School access swimming lessons earlier, as well as raise awareness of water safety.

This was followed by a balloon release in Staveley Square at 3pm to mark Logan's bravery.

Many people wore ‘our hero’ t-shirts to honour the schoolboy and blue balloons, Logan’s favourite colour, were released.

Stacey said the event had been ‘great’ but it was not yet known how much had been raised.

“The event was organised to help the children learn to swim earlier or children who are less able to get extra lessons at Staveley Junior School, where Logan spent four years of his childhood,” she said previously.

"Even if we can only raise enough for 10 children by doing this fundraiser, then that could possibly be 10 lives we could help save and that would be great!

“It would also mean that Logan would still be helping people which he was always happy to do and his memory lives on.

“If it stops just one parent/family having to go through what our family has then I'd say this is definitely worth it.”

At Logan’s funeral last year, Reverend Richard Harris described the much-loved and popular Logan as ‘a hero to his family, to his friends, to this community’.

Logan’s friends have previously raised charity cash by creating special wristbands in his honour.

Staveley Morrisons has also held earlier fundraising events to celebrate his bravery.