Strangers touched by a boy's efforts to raise cash towards his mum's alternative cancer treatment have helped him exceed his target.

Isaac Pavitt, 13, from Northbourne near Deal had hoped to raise £1,000 by completing the KM Big Bike Ride at Betteshanger Country Park on Sunday.

But over the weekend since his reasons behind the 50k endeavour went live on KentOnline , the total climbed by more than £800 to £1,370.

Speaking after the event, he said: "The money raised is incredible.

"It means such a lot to see the stress go away. And the ride was epic, I enjoyed every moment of it."

The cash will go towards helping his mum Charlene Fursland fight her inoperable stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.

The single mum of three was first diagnosed in 2014 but overcame the disease with a lumpectomy and four weeks of radiotherapy.

When it returned in April 2019, she declined chemotherapy treatment in exchange for an alternative, private option; working with an American specialist with 40 years experience, Dr Dana Flavin.

Taking up to 150 pills a day, the treatment is a combination of off label drugs such as metformin, supplements, diet and lifestyle aimed at "blocking all pathways".

But it comes at a cost of £1,000 a month.

She said: "As a single mother, to get the all clear was relief like no other.

"Now it's about grit and determination to overcome cancer again. There's not a doubt in my mind that I will get better."

Asked why she declined the NHS pathway, she said: "I feel like I had years of doctors not listening to me. They treated me like they knew my body better than I do.

"With chemotherapy, I'd be ill. With this, everything is going in the right direction."

She has been receiving the treatment monthly since December 2019.

"I get my blood analysed and compared to my last one, they're brilliant," she said.

"There's no way on this earth I'm going to leave my kids so it's worth the investment in my time and energy, but finding the money is hard."

She says she is extremely proud of her son, a pupil at Dover Grammar School for Boys, for taking on the challenge, which was an idea he came up with with his grandfather, Tony Fursland.

He said: "It's humbling. I'm so proud of him.

"The generosity of strangers has really made me feel like my kids and I really matter.

"It has removed some financial stress for the next six weeks or so which makes such a lot of difference.

"It has also made Isaac feel great."

You can still sponsor Isaac by clicking here .

Read more: All the latest news from Deal