The place to eat to help Jacob

The owner of a Newark fish and chip shop will donate a day’s takings to the family of a boy who needs a bone-marrow transplant.

Mr and Mrs Marcos Panteli, who run Fish King, Hawton Road, and their staff also plan to work without pay on Monday and will wear specially-printed T-shirts.

Jacob Giles (13 months) of Lowfield Lane, Balderton, has Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a rare inherited disorder of the immune system.

It is characterised by recurrent infections, eczema and low numbers of platelet cells, which increases susceptibility to bleeding.

There is also a risk sufferers may develop cancer.

He is on several types of antibiotics and has weekly blood transfusions.

Jacob was diagnosed in May and shortly before his first birthday last month his parents, Miss Vicky Tasker and Mr David Giles, were told a 100% bone-marrow match had been found.

Jacob is due to have the transplant at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, and his parents are waiting for a date.

He is likely to be in hospital for about two months, and his parents will need somewhere to stay.

Mr Panteli (34) whose daughter, Ria, is a similar age to Jacob, said: “I got a phone call from a friend of mine who has been involved with fundraising for Jacob and she asked if I would sponsor her on a walk.

“I said: ‘Yes’ but I also thought I could help through the business.

“It hits home when you have got children. You realise how hard it must be.

“The more customers who come, the better. They will all get their food and their money will go to help Jacob.”

Mr Panteli has had posters made by printing.com, on Friary Road, in a bid to attract more customers. The firm gave its services free of charge.

Miss Tasker said: “Marcos and Tina are a lovely couple. It’s so generous. We can’t thank them enough.

“At the end of the day they have got a young family to support and a business to run. To think they didn’t even know us.”

She said Mr Panteli invited them to be there at closing time and they planned to count the takings.

Miss Tasker said the money would help to cover their living costs while Jacob had treatment, and they hoped to buy a laptop and webcam so they could keep in touch with his half-brothers, Dylan (12) and Morgan (8).

The chip shop is open on Monday from 11.30am to 2pm, and 4.30pm to 10pm.

For more information about Jacob visit www.jacobgiles.wordpress.com