They say having children is all about making memories and that’s exactly what the Morley family have been doing since dad Lee was given a terminal cancer diagnosis.

The family of four, from Strood, is currently enjoying a well-deserved break at Alton Towers with money raised for them by close friends and family.

They have spent the last year enjoying zip-riding and “doing crazy things which are really out of our comfort zones”, according to mum Claire.

The family has been able to spend quality time together since Lee’s diagnosis of an aggressive form of stage 4 colorectal cancer last January thanks to funds raised for them.

But now they want to “give something back”.

“We know first hand just how tough, heartbreaking and challenging living with cancer is,” Claire said.

“We can not imagine how difficult it must be for a child and their family and we would really like to be able to reach out and support these families in some way.”

Five-year-old Kit has always been known as the boy with the long hair after not being able to have his first hair cut due to lockdown.

Claire, 37, said: “His long locks has just become part of him. He absolutely loves it.”

But a few weeks ago Claire and Lee’s youngest son decided he wanted his hair cut and started asking his mum what happens to your hair when it is chopped off.

“I said it just goes in the bin,” Claire said. “I thought that was a bit of shame and then suddenly remembered The Little Princess Trust and started talking to Kit about it.

“I told him it is a place where special people make wigs out of real hair for children and some of those children have the same illness as daddy, cancer, and they have lost all of their hair because of their medicine.

“Straight away Kit said ‘can I give my hair to the children mummy’ and he hasn’t stopped talking about it since, telling everyone what he is doing and asking when I’m booking his haircut.”

Kit has a fundraising pack and a badge declaring he is growing his hair for the trust.

“He is so excited,” Claire said. “He can’t wait to get it done.”

Once he has finished raising money, Kit is going to get his long locks lobbed off during the summer holidays.

Claire said Kit and his older brother Tate, have been asking questions about their dad’s illness after he was rushed into hospital for six weeks in January to undergo emergency surgery to remove his colon and fit Lee with a stoma.

“It’s been a big change for them,” Claire said. “They have a lot of questions and the Macmillan nurses said to take their lead and answer their questions when they come up.

“The children know that daddy has cancer, he is quite unwell and that time is precious.”

Lee, 40, was a heating engineer running his own successful business until he became too ill to work and Claire has become his carer.

“The cancer is incurable and very aggressive and resistant to quite a lot of therapies,” Claire said.

“We want to do as much as we can as a family, while we can.”

As well as donating Kit’s hair the family is also hoping to raise money for The Little Princess Trust, to help make the wigs and go towards Childhood Cancer Research.