'We Love You Angus' event hit

Arrowtown turned out in force to support young Angus Beaton, who has cancer, with a fundraising evening packed with entertainment on Saturday night.

A total of 350 tickets were sold in the quickly organised "We Love You Angus" event at the decorated Athenaeum Hall.

The function was complete with "mystery balloons", a stilt walker, bagpiper, a tree painting with partygoers' painted thumb prints for leaves, silent and live auctions and dance floor-filling performances by singer Charlotte Graf, the Lynch Mob and Swamp Donkey.

Angus (4) was diagnosed last month with an aggressive soft-tissue cancer in his stomach, which has spread to his lungs and bone marrow.

His parents, Fritha and Gordon, and sister Kate continued their vigil by his bedside in Christchurch Hospital while Angus underwent chemotherapy treatment.

Master of ceremonies Shaun Vining read aloud a letter from Mrs Beaton to a hushed audience.

"The fact that you have all come together because of our special boy is very, very moving and has made such a huge difference to how we are coping with all of this," she said in her letter.

"Our time up here is going to stretch out quite a while and what you are doing is enabling us to stay together as a family, which is so valuable to all of us."

The amount raised for the family would be known this week, event co-organiser Lisa White said.