A POPULAR schoolboy whose life was cut short by Meningitis will never be forgotten, family friends said at a charity fundraiser in his honour.

Around 120 well-wishers came together on Wednesday for 'Harry's Lunch' at St Katharine's Parmoor, Frieth, raising £2500 for the Meningitis Research Foundation.

Harry Mills, who was a pupil at Spinfield School, died two years ago.

Friends were shown a display of a memorial garden dedicated to Harry at Butterfly World near St Albans –a spectacular £27million biosphere housing a tropical rainforest and 100,000 butterflies which will open next year.

Harry's friends from Spinfield School and variety of sports teams – including Holy Trinity Juniors Football Club and Marlow Rugby Club - grew sunflowers for the garden.

It was designed to match sport-mad Harry's personality and hobbies.

Rugby posts, cricket inspired straw bales donated by a farmer and a glass football are among the sporting references built into the green space.

Gardener Fern Alder, who created it, said: “I didn't know Harry but what struck after hearing about him was he was the most incredible little sports person.”

The Mills family said they had been overwhelmed by the number of people who have offered support to events like the lunch in the past two years.

Last year a similar event raised over £2600 for Youth Sport Trust.

Judi Mills, Harry's mother, an English as a foreign language teacher, of Institute Road, Marlow, said there had been a lot of empathy shown.

She said: “What's in common with most people is they are all mothers and I think there's a great feeling of solidarity.

"I think that's why we have such a big network of friends and acquaintances.”

Wendy Parcell, 51, from Marlow, helped organise the lunch.

Her daughter, Livvy, 14, was close friends with Harry.

She said: “He was very special, full of life and fun and always had a smile on his face. We won't forget him.”