A play staged in memory of tragic teenager Megan Lee has raised hundreds for the Anaphylaxis Campaign.
The cast of ‘A Day in the Life’, which was produced and performed at the Civic Arts Centre in Oswaldtwistle, are now planning to take the play into schools around East Lancashire to spread awareness of the dangers of allergies.
It was staged on Thursday, March 9 in memory of 15-year-old Megan, from Oswaldtwistle, who died on New Year’s Day from a suspected severe allergic reaction.
The play follows the real-life story of Chloe Fitzpatrick, 17, who has a serious airborne allergy to strawberries.
The play was produced by her sister Sophie, who is the creative project manager at the Civic.
It crucially explains the importance of Epipens and auto-injectors for people with allergies.
Around 150 people, including the Lee family, attended the performance, which was dedicated to the St Christopher’s High School pupil.
Sophie, 25, said: “We thought it would be very poignant to stage the play for the community and to raise awareness so we spoke to the Lee family to ask if we should do it to remember Megan.
“It was just the one performance, we didn’t want it to run again and again, we just wanted it to be a powerful, personal performance.
“We were incredibly nervous because the Lee family were there and we knew it would have been very difficult for them to come and see the play. They were so brave.
“There were lots of tears in the audience and with the cast.”
The show starred Sophie and Chloe alongside their sister Lucy, 21, and Chloe’s best friend Sophie Guest, 17, and raised more than £400 for the Anaphylaxis Campaign.
But Sophie said they intend to boost that amount. She added: “We are hoping to keep building that up until we have got a really substantial amount to send.
“It would be great if we could raise £2,000, we’d be very proud to have raised that in memory of Megan. We are also going to be taking the play into local schools and in the wider area, which is really positive.
“What happened was so horrendous, but at least some form of positive that’s come out of this is making more and more people aware of anaphylaxis, and make them feel that they are not alone.”
