A FUNDRAISING campaign for a little boy with an aggressive form of cancer is has overtaken its original target.

Three-year-old Freddie Thompson, who lives in Ampleforth with his parents Philip and Emily and older brother Oscar, was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma last year.

In February his parents Philip and Emily, along with a team of 15 friends, launched the fundraising campaign to raise £250,000 to send Freddie for pioneering vaccine treatment in America which has, in trials, decreased the chance of relapse to 30 per cent.

Freddie’s aunt, Gillian Thompson, said: “Freddie’s Fighters are delighted to announce that we have surpassed our original target of £250,000.

“Starting the fundraising in February, the group quickly garnered support from their local community and from nowhere sprung coffee mornings, dinner dances, sporting events and personal challenges.”

She added: “The support of the local community around Hambleton and Ryedale has been astounding and what once seemed an impossible task has seen them achieve their goal.

With donations still coming in and events still in the calendar it has given Freddie’s parents the option to consider further maintenance treatments following the vaccination.

Philip and Emily said:“We will forever be grateful to all the wonderful people who have donated and given up their time to help us raise this amount for Freddie’s treatment. Never in a million years did we think we would reach this amount so quickly.

“We live in a truly amazing community where people are willing to do so much to help our little boy and we are completely overwhelmed by the love everyone has for Freddie.”

For more information, find Freddie’s Fight on Facebook.