Brave young cancer lad inspires epic run

Charlie Dowling, four, suffers from an incurable brain tumour. Doctors have told his parents, Amy Connellan and Reuben Dowling, to prepare for the worst.

The situation prompted their former schoolfriend, AFC Bournemouth midfielder Danny Hollands, 23, to give up part of his close season to run more than 23 miles in aid of the CLIC Sargent charity.

His sponsored run took place on Sundaybetween Petworth and The Cabin in Elmer. He chose the route because it contained plenty of hills to make it tough to complete.

Family and friends gathered in the pub for a celebration at which Charlie was the star.

Danny is expected to have raised more than 2,000 with the help of his partner, Natalie Matthews.

Amy, 22, said: "It's brilliant they have done this for us.

"They wanted to send us on holiday but Charlie's already been to Disneyland Paris with CLIC Sargent.

"We wanted other people who need help, just like we did, to benefit from the money.

"We don't need it now. There are other children who are in hospital who need it more than we do."

Amy and Reuben, of Henry Street, suffered every parent's nightmare when Charlie was diagnosed with the tumour at the age of 18 months.

It has since come back twice, most recently in March, in spite of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and is set to return again.

Charlie, a pupil at Edward Bryant Primary School, has also undergone two operations at Southampton General Hospital to remove the tumours.

But Amy explained: "It is a very vicious type of tumour, which is quite aggressive, and does not respond to the treatment.

"Charlie's consultant has told us he does not want to give him chemotherapy again because he has had the best chemotherapy for his particular type of tumour.

"There doesn't seem any point in making him ill again when it is not going to keep the tumour away."