A four-year-old from Halfway has been chosen as the face of a national fundraising campaign for the children and young people’s cancer support charity CLIC Sargent.

Harry Lucas, who was diagnosed with leukaemia last year and is supported by the charity, is appearing on posters in H Samuel, Ernest Jones and Leslie Davis stores across the country in the run up to Christmas.

Harry is helping to publicise Jasper the CLIC Sargent Bear, which is being sold to raise money for the charity’s work supporting young cancer patients.

Harry Lucas, from Halfway, has been chosen to front a new charity campaign

Harry, alongside his mum Rachel and sister Amelia-Rose, star in a short online film for the campaign where they explain how the support of their CLIC Sargent nurse, Karen, and social worker, Lucy, has helped them cope with the impact of cancer on family life.

Mrs Lucas, of Holmside Avenue in Halfway, said life “changed so much in just 48 hours” when she and husband Gary found out Harry – who was only three at the time - had cancer.

The 36-year-old said: “I’d been at work, then after a trip to the GP I was laying next to my son at Medway hospital watching him have a blood transfusion - seeing him have somebody else’s blood put into his little body.

“At the beginning, the treatment was really hard to get my head around.

“I was there looking at my perfectly happy, perfectly jolly Harry, knowing that they’d have to make him more ill with treatment to make him better.”

Harry receives specialist treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, which is where the family met their CLIC Sargent social worker, Lucy.

Mrs Lucas said: “Lucy is really gentle and soft speaking and practical and I don’t know whether she’s trained to speak like that or it’s just her, but it works.

“The advice she gives you sticks in your head.

“I can say anything to her, share any worries, and I’m at complete ease. She makes me think the things I need to do without even saying anything.”

After six months of intense treatment, Harry went on oral chemotherapy and was able to spend more time at home, thanks to his CLIC Sargent nurse, Karen.

“Karen is his main CLIC Sargent nurse,” Mrs Lucas said. “She visits to access the port in his chest to clean it, and checks his blood.

“She even visited his playschool to chat to his key worker before he went back in. Harry was really proud - he led her in and introduced her to everyone!”

On Harry being chosen for the campaign, Mrs Lucas said: “Harry loves his Jasper and we had a lot of fun making the video and doing the photos.

“I hope us sharing our story gets people down to their local store to buy a Jasper, so that CLIC Sargent can fund even more social workers and nurses, because no family should have to go through all this without that support.”

Today, 11 more children and young people in the UK will hear the devastating news that they have cancer. Treatment normally starts immediately, is often given many miles from home and can last for up to three years.

The sale of five Jasper bears could pay for a play specialist’s time for one hour so they can help a child prepare for and cope with treatment by using models, toys and photos to explain what will happen.

Jasper bears are priced at £9.99 and are available at H Samuel, Ernest Jones or Leslie Davis stores. All profits raised will go to CLIC Sargent.