A HELENSBURGH mum says a fund-raiser in the town this weekend in memory of her son will be a “huge” occasion.

The ‘Diamonds in the Sky’ event, at the Clyde Bar on Saturday, May 26, is being held to raise money for, and awareness of, the fight against epilepsy after 20-year-old Mark Woolner died suddenly in January following a seizure in his sleep.

Mark’s mum Jodie and her family will all be present at the West Clyde Street venue for Saturday night’s fund-raiser, organised by family friend Julie Brown, in aid of Epilepsy Scotland.

Jodie said: “We are all going to the event and we have extended family from England coming.

“Loads of Mark’s friends will be there. It’s going to be huge.”

Jodie thanked Mark’s friends and their family for their continuing support since he passed away at the family home – from which Jodie has since moved.

She added: “His friends keep in contact and they even helped us move house recently.

“I just couldn’t stay in that house.

“I can’t thank everyone enough.”

The family have been supported by SUDEP, a small organisation that aims to raise awareness of sudden and unexpected deaths of people with epilepsy.

Jodie praised the charity and thanked them for their ongoing support.

She said: “There’s just not enough money for research. Before Mark was diagnosed I knew basically nothing about epilepsy, so had to research it myself.

“They are trying to raise awareness about just how serious it can be which is something not a lot of people know.”

The Advertiser previously reported that the 20-year-old was diagnosed with myoclonic epilepsy following his first seizure when he was aged 16.

Myoclonic seizures are brief, shock-like jerks of a muscle or a group of muscles, which can occur within a short time.

Jodie said: “What started out as occasional twitches and jerks developed and started to become more frequent. He started having seizures which were getting worse.

“He was really good at taking his medication, we just never got it stabilised. My worst fear was that he would have a seizure in bed, and it happened.”

Two local performers, Paul McCabe and Daniel ‘Danzo’ Stevens, will be performing on the night, along with Scott Brown, Ultimate Buzz, Mark MacLauchlan, William Daniel, Pulsator and Korrupt.

A slideshow including pictures of Mark with his family and friends will also be displayed on the night.

Tickets for Saturday’s event are priced at £20 each and are available at the Clyde Bar or from the ‘Diamonds in the Sky’ event page on Facebook.