The family of a young boy with cancer have met a daunting deadline to pay for his lifesaving treatment thanks to a £25,000 donation.

Rory and Luibov Westfold, from Elvington, had until Friday to raise £50,000 for their four-year-old son Evan, who has an aggressive brain cancer.

The five-figure sum given by the May Family Charitable Trust has been added to the £37,000 already raised by members of the community.

It means the brave tot, who was diagnosed with melludoblastoma in October, can continue receiving specialist proton radiotherapy in Essen, Germany, which is not available in the UK.

Mr Westfold said: “To receive that kind of sum was absolutely massive and we’re so thankful.

“The amount of work that my wife and I had to do when we got to Essen when we should have been focusing on our boy was huge.

“This time is as precious as it gets and this money means we can spend time with our son instead of fundraising.

“It’s also taken away the stress. The only stress now is his illness.”

Mr Westfold says his son has shown great resilience to the intense five-day a week radiotherapy which involves going under general anaesthetic each time.

He started it on Monday, November 27, even though the cash to pay for it was not secure. He will continue to receive it until Monday, January 8.

He said: “I think he’s doing fantastically well.”

The family will return to England in early January when Evan will begin around 30 weeks of chemotherapy.

Their home has been a hive of activity with local builders, traders and volunteers making ongoing improvements, so it is fit for Evan’s return.

"To receive that kind of sum was absolutely massive and we’re so thankful" - Rory Westfold

Mr Westfold said: “We’re just hoping that Evan gets through this and survives.

“His type of cancer has a 43% survival rate.

“We’re on the positive side of that 43% as Evan has had the tumour removed. We’re still going for a win!”

The family have given special thanks to their relatives Matt Gough and Carly Gough as well as neighbours Mischa and Sveltlana Peresada.

Mr Westfold said: “Without these four we couldn’t have made it this far.

“Thanks also to everyone back in Kent who donated, especially John Ashman and the Turner family.”

John Ashman, one of the trustees of the Kelly Turner Foundation, raised almost £10,000 for the teenager but, following her death, he donated it to Evan with the blessing of Kelly’s parents.