We are making a special appeal to our army of readers. We want you to make a Soham schoolboy s dream come true…and in the process, help thousands of sick youngsters and their families. We have launched a new fund-raising campaign called Liam s Fund and we

We are making a special appeal to our army of readers. We want you to make a Soham schoolboy's dream come true...and in the process, help thousands of sick youngsters and their families. We have launched a new fund-raising campaign called Liam's Fund and we need your help.

Liam Fairhurst, aged 12, is raising money for the children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent and is determined to reach his £100,000 target.

And that's where YOU come in.

The Ely Standard has previously reported on Liam's brave battle to beat cancer. Now, he wants to help other children, who like him, are battling the disease.

The 12-year-old decided to raise money for CLIC last August after his friend Jack Wilkinson died from cancer. Liam met Jack in Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge where he was receiving treatment for a cancerous growth in his leg.

Liam was recently re-diagnosed with cancer, but has responded well to treatment and came home from hospital at the weekend -even more determined to reach his fund-raising target.

Liam's dad Mark told the Ely Standard: "Liam is still poorly, but he is up and about and we have him home, which is great news.

"He will still need some low dosage chemotherapy to ensure there are no cancer cells left behind, but we are hopeful that he is now on the road to recovery and can soon begin to lead a relatively normal life."

All the money raised for Liam's Fund will go to the CLIC Sargent charity. The initial aim of our campaign is to help Liam reach his £100,000 target - the current total stands at £80,623. We want to get there and exceed if we can.

Last year, our readers dug deep to raise a magnificent £80,000 for our Help Our Hospice campaign, which we set up to raise money for the Milton Hospice.

This year, we have joined forces with Star FM radio station because they, and in particular their breakfast show presenter Mark Peters, have been so supportive of Liam.

Mark said: "The reason we at Star got involved is simple - it was Liam.

"He approached us and made such a reasonable request for help, and we were won over by his courage and bravery.

"He deserves our support. He never gives up and has faced so much. I think we all owe it to him to do what we can to help."

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

Make a donation to Liam's Fund. Cheques should be made payable to CLIC Sargent, but sent to: the Ely Standard, 38 Market Street, Ely, Cambs, CB7 4LS or bring it into our office in Market Street.

Organise a fund-raising event. Don't worry, we can suggest ideas and help you with the publicity. All fund-raisers will be featured in the newspaper if they are happy for publicity.

Send Liam an email to wish him a speedy recovery. Go to www.ely-standard.co.uk and click on the section at top of the home page that says 'leave your message here'.

If you would like more information about Liam's Fund or help with fund-raising, contact Debbie Davies on 01353 667831 or email: debbie.davies@archant.co.uk