How many times a day do we say we wish for something? We wish we were richer, wish the weekend would come sooner, wish the sun was shining, wish the car wouldn’t always stall at the traffic lights.

But for some people, wishes are not things to be lightly wasted upon trivialities. People such as Connor Lancaster, of Wibsey , who is just 14-years-old and who is suffering from a very rare form of bone cancer.

Connor knows the value of wishes, and how you should be careful to use your wishes properly. Despite his tender years, Connor is a huge fan of aeroplanes, and his fondest desire was to fly in a vintage Gipsy Moth aircraft.

Now his wish has come true, thanks to the Starlight Children’s Foundation which gives very poorly children something to look forward to and, once it’s done, a memory to treasure.

It’s also a memory that will guide him through difficult times – the day after his amazing flight he began five weeks of radiotheraphy for his condition Ewing’s sarcoma, a type of bone cancer which fewer than 30 children in the UK suffer from each year.

The photographs of Connor in today’s Telegraph & Argus and the words of his mum Julie – the youngster was “ecstatic” – illustrate just how vital the work of charities such as the Starlight Children’s Foundation are.

And while the real, deep down, secret wish of Connor and those close to him is beyond the power of Starlight to grant, they do indeed give a ray of hope and happiness to young people who really need it – and bring true wishes that are really well deserved.