A WELL-KNOWN York business has raised more than £13,000 in just two weeks to help an 11-year-old boy from the city with an extremely rare form of a life-limiting illness.

As previously reported by The Press, Bill Gornall, who lives in Holgate with dad, Sid, and siblings, Buddy, eight and Olive, five, was diagnosed in 2020 with mitochondrial disease MELAS, a rare disorder that begins in childhood and mostly affects the nervous system and muscles.

For the past 2 weeks York Ghost Merchants in Shambles have been running an on-line auction for a one off special edition ghost through the Raffall website.


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There were more than 7,500 tickets bought by bidders from all over the world raising £13,663, with the winner drawn at random by the site.

They won a rare hand painted foxglove prototype ghost which was made in advance of the shop's Black Box Poison Garden edition in February 2021. 

York Press: The Poison Garden Ghost which was raffled for The Lily Foundation by York Ghost MerchantsThe Poison Garden Ghost which was raffled for The Lily Foundation by York Ghost Merchants (Image: York Ghost Merchants)

Sid said: "I’ve known one of the owners of York Ghost Merchants, Angus McArthur, for several years now and followed the popularity of his shop since it opened - I think as a family we own around 15 ghosts.

"I was aware of the charity auction and asked if he would consider choosing the Lily Foundation in Bill’s name. He did and now the auction's ended it's humbling to think that people want to help in anyway they can and that Angus was in a special position to make a big impact through his business."

Angus said: "We are lucky to be in a position as a business where we can raise money for such worthy and important causes.

"Philanthropy continues to be part of the values and mission of The York Ghost Merchants."

York Press: Angus inside York Ghost MerchantsAngus inside York Ghost Merchants (Image: Charlotte Graham)

As The Press previously reported, Bill and his family got to meet the York Knights rugby players ahead of their game at the Community Stadium against London Broncos , which Bill and his family also be attended and Bill got to carry the ball on to the pitch.

Bill has an extremely rare form of the life-limiting illness mitochondrial disease MELAS, a rare disorder that begins in childhood and mostly affects the nervous system and muscles.

York Press: Bill and Sid GornallBill and Sid Gornall (Image: Supplied)

Mito - as his family call it - is a degenerative condition affecting the mitochondria in your cells which provide 90 per cent of the energy for them to perform properly. If the mitochondria are unable to produce energy for the cell it dies and the organ the cell is supporting can fail.

Bill, who goes to Acomb Primary School and lives with dad, Sid, and siblings, Buddy, eight and Olive, five, was diagnosed in 2020 and is now struggling to walk any distance and needs a wheelchair to get around.

York Press: Bill at the Knight's matchBill at the Knight's match (Image: Stephen Gaunt/Touchline)

Sid, a designer for Thor's Bars, said that the Raffall auction brings the total raised through the ‘Bills_mito_battle campaign to £40,787.

To follow the family's story further go to their JustGiving page here and on Instagram @bills_mito_battle

York Press: Bill GornallBill Gornall (Image: Sid Gornall)