A rockin' music festival raised an overwhelming £4,000 for a brave toddler who has captured the hearts of the community.

The family and friends of little Ralphie Ellard, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy, hosted the music festival and have been left overwhelmed by the support they received.

More than 250 people attended the Rockin' for Ralphie festival at Weymouth Pavilion.

Earlier this year Ralphie, now two, lost the ability to swallow food and is now fed through a nasal tube. At least four times a week Ralphie pulls this tube out of his nose and this is now leading to soreness and infection around his nasal passages.

Ralphie underwent an operation earlier this month to have a Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) fitted to his stomach.

The PEG allows food, fluids and medicines directly into his stomach through a thin tube into his skin.

With the operation being a success, Ralphie was able to attend the fundraising event for an hour.

Sian Ellard, Ralphie’s mum said: “We were originally fundraising for Ralphie to have his very own wheelchair which was adapted just for him and his needs, we are around half way there with all funds raised for Ralphie so far.

"As we go on this journey with Ralphie there will inevitably be other things that pop up that we need to fund for.

"For example, with Ralphie having his PEG fitted we now have to purchase different style harnesses for all of his equipment. And these can become very expensive. The money we have raised at Rockin' for Ralphie is really going to help with this.”

Sian said: “We hope to continue to raise much needed funds for Ralphie by holding other events locally.

"Our next idea is to hold an open to everyone fire walk. This is something that anyone over the age of four years can do, with trained professionals in charge of the walk, and providing health and safety advice before the event.

"We would also love to hold another band night, and at some point a family fun day.

Sian added: "Thank you so much to everyone who came, everyone who donated prizes, the bands who provided their time for free, the security, the designers and printers and the volunteers. It means so much to see how loved our brave little boy is.

"Last but not least I want to thank Ralphie's family and friends who were amazing helping to organise the event and attending on the night, I really could not have done it without them and I thank them all from the bottom of our hearts."

If you would like to know more about Raising for Ralphie contact Sian on 07713 811878.