BRAVE schoolboy Elliot Moll-O'Reilly is helping to raise hundreds of pounds for research into the disease which leaves him with painfully blistered skin.

The seven-year-old, of Barmby Moor, near Pocklington, suffers from Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) - a potentially-fatal genetic disorder.

It means that any bump or knock to the skin, which in other children may cause a small bruise or graze, will form a serious blister or lesion in Elliot.

Even wearing tight clothing has the same effect, and it means that Elliot, a pupil at Barmby Moor CE Primary School, is often bandaged.

His mum, Emma, said many people had never heard of the disease, which often made things difficult for the family.

She said: "If Elliot wears shoes they cause the soles of his feet to blister. If he falls over, instead of grazing himself he will take out a lump of skin. He also looks very red in the face, but that's just scar tissue.

"He's very open about it, and he just deals with it. "But people often stare and assume the worst of us as parents, or assume he's a little thug. If we tell them the truth they are really shocked."

This weekend Elliot will be helping Emma, 37, and his dad, Eric, 38, host a fundraising weekend at the family's home, Tadpole Cottage, in Sutton Lane, in aid of DEBRA, a charity which supports nursing care, research programmes and health care for sufferers of EB. Coronation Street actor Iain Rogerson, who plays barman Harry Flag in the soap, will open the family's gardens at 11am on Sunday, at the start of a two-day event. Attractions include a performance from local 70s band Cosmic Spiders on Sunday evening, stalls, games and a hog roast.

Updated: 10:38 Thursday, May 22, 2003