AN eight-year-old boy from Haydon Bridge has managed to raise more than £2,000 for Cancer Research, after he shaved his head for the charity.

Geordie Thirlaway, a pupil at the Shaftoe Trust Academy in the village, chose to shave his hair off for Cancer Research.

Geordie made the decision after his mum, Cathy, lost her hair due to the chemotherapy she was receiving for breast cancer.

Cathy was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at Easter, but her prognosis is positive and she is currently undergoing her fourth round of treatment.

Geordie’s dad Micky Thirlaway said: “It’s great. We got over £1,000 in the first day. Cathy only set the target at £100, we thought if we got a few hundred quid that would be brilliant.

“We had it on Facebook, but people we don’t even know have been donating. It restores your faith in humanity. Cathy was diagnosed in March, and Geordie probably took it the worst. He struggled when she was losing her hair.

“He’s getting his head round it now, and then he just decided he wanted to have his hair like his mum’s. He’s really proud of what he’s done.”

Micky added: “When people hear that word, cancer, they associate it with death – but there’s so many success stories now. I think the survival rates are about 90 per cent. Cathy’s getting better, she’s having eight rounds of chemo and then surgery, and she’s had four. It’s quite aggressive, but the doctors are hopeful.”

Donations to Geordie’s campaign can be made at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cathy-thirlaway1