The insurance community has raised $23,000 to help provide disability transport for Charlie Fothergill, whose life story was highlighted at the annual Quill Club lunch in Melbourne last month.

Three-year-old Charlie has complex medical needs and challenges, including not being able to sit, stand or walk, he suffers seizures and is fed via a tube as he is unable to swallow.

The funds, raised separately to the charity event, will help his family buy a car that can be modified with further assistance from the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

“People who were there and even people who weren’t there have contacted me and chipped in money,” Quill Club member and Woodridge Insurance Services Director Tony Carmusciano said.

The cause of Charlie’s problems remains undiagnosed and his family have highlighted the important role of peer support and advocacy group Syndromes Without a Name (SWAN), the beneficiary charity at this year’s Melbourne lunch.