BUSINESSES in York have helped raise about £5,000 towards potentially life-saving treatment for a little boy battling a rare form of cancer.

Six-year-old Jamie Inglis, from Kelfield, has suffered a neuroblastoma relapse and has undergone surgery to have a tumour that caused paralysis removed from his spine.

He has been told he can start pioneering treatment, which is unavailable in the UK, in Germany on July 30 – leaving his family with less than two months to raise about £200,000 to fund it.

To help with the fundraising effort, The Gallery nightclub in York, which is undergoing a refurbishment, auctioned off two bronze lions usually placed near the front door of the club.

The winning £2,000 bid came from Mario Marchi, the co-owner of York Riding School in Wigginton Road.

He said: “I’m over the moon about winning the bid. It’s good for the cause and I have got the lions and will be putting them in the main entrance to the site.

“We believe everybody deserves a chance in life and Jamie is so young he should have all the help he can get.”

Dave Harrison, manager at The Gallery said: “We read about Jamie in The Press and thought the appeal was a good one to get behind. It has touched everybody’s hearts. Times are hard at the moment and it’s great when you can do something to help someone in the community.”

Meanwhile, Ashley Cameron, director of Saks hairdresser’s, has cycled a gruelling 943 miles in tough conditions from Land’s End to John O’Groats to support the cause.

He said: “When you are on the bike you get on with it. The last day was the hardest day – we had 125mph head winds, poor visibility and rain in our face continuously. The injuries on the knees were pretty bad.

“For me, I was always going to do it, it was constantly in my mind that I wanted to do something for Jamie.”

His efforts, as well as a collection in the salon, has raised almost £3,000 for the appeal. Mr Cameron has said he intends to fundraise for the cause for the rest of the year.

To donate or fundraise for Jamie’s appeal, visit www.justgiving.com/jamiesappeal. Donations can also be made by texting ‘JAMY99’ followed by your amount to 70070, eg ‘JAMY99 £10’.