Features

PRESS RELEASE: Thunder-Man Supports Special-Effect Charity

Xander Goodwin (5), from Beeston, Nottingham created his very own comic book superhero, “Thunder-Man,” as part of a school project in June 2015.  Xander wanted his hero to do “real things, and after a suggestion about raising money for charity he said that he wanted to “help orphans, like Batman is, because he has no mummy and daddy.”  Xander went on to help design a superhero t-shirt which he sold to raise money for SOS Children’s Villages UK, who support orphans and adoptees.
Xander was then adamant that he wanted to “do charity” every month. He has since raised money for ChildLine, the Anti-Bullying Alliance, and Save the Children UK.  This month, however, he is supporting the gaming charity SpecialEffect.  Xander really enjoys video games; playing Lego Batman and Lego Dimensions on the Xbox. He discovered that not everyone can play video games very easily, and found out about SpecialEffect, who aid in designing ways to help children and people with disabilities so they can play and enjoy video games. He insisted that his hero Thunder-Man should help them!
Sharon, an advocate for the charity, speaks about how SpecialEffect helped her son Ben; “When he developed a left-sided weakness from his brain tumor, a lot of his hobbies became too difficult and so he stopped doing them, including playing his beloved Xbox. He could no longer move the controls; as a 14 year old boy this was devastating not least because it was also a way of socialising with friends. Being referred to SpecialEffect as a real turning point for Ben. He has been robbed of so much by his illness, but thanks to SpecialEffect he is playing his Xbox again and enjoying it as much as ever.”
Artist Dan Butcher of Vanguard Comics, and a friend of Xander’s, designed a retro style t-shirt featuring Thunder-Man, based on the old Atari gaming cartridges.  This t-shirt is available in adult and children’s sizes until the middle of February this year, with all profits of the sales going to the SpecialEffect.
The shirts can be purchased online from £9 at www.tboom.co.uk/special-effect-limited-edition-thunder-man-tee-kids-variant 
Xander is very proud to see his superhero, Thunder-Man helping gamers like him; he really is a little hero himself! You can follow Thunder-Man on Twitter @Thunder_Man, or on Facebook at ThunderManHero. You can also visit the Thunder-Man website for more: http://thunder-man1.wix.com/thunder-man.

About the author

Robert Porter