Family and friends are rallying behind a little boy who is battling a rare form of cancer.

A fundraising day takes place on Sunday at the Roebuck Pub in Harrogate Road, Greengates, to raise money to make life a little easier for Bailey Halliday.

Bailey, who celebrated his sixth birthday this week, has been diagnosed with a type of muscle cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma, and two weeks ago he embarked on an 18-month-long treatment programme.

He faces regular trips to Leeds for exhausting chemotherapy to shrink his tumours.

All money raised will pay for things like travel costs and, when he is feeling better, a holiday.

Fewer than 60 children are diagnosed with this type of cancer in the UK each year. At first, doctors in Bradford thought Bailey had an ear and throat infection. However, courses of antibiotics failed to make any difference and then the muscles on the right hand side of his face dropped. Doctors suspected a cyst on his brain, but a CT scan showed a tumour above his soft palate, just behind his nose. Unfortunately, they also found it had spread to his lungs.

Bailey, who is in reception at Cavendish Primary School, was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary to begin chemotherapy.

The news has devastated his parents Diane Priestley, 31, and Jonathan Halliday, 28, who live in Thorpe Edge with Bailey, his eight-year-old brother Branden and three-year-old sister Ellie.

Diane said: “We are up and down really, but we have to deal with it. We are his parents and the only thing we can do is take the emotional strain.

“They have not said it is not curable, but it will be hard because it has spread. It is a very active tumour. Surgery is not an option because of where it is, so they have to shrink it with chemotherapy. After 26 weeks he will start radiotherapy.”

Diane thanked friends and family who are helping them.

  • Read the full story in Wednesday's T&A