Holiday Hopes for Poorly Kids

The mum and dad of a Leicestershire boy, who died of a rare form of leukaemia, are hoping to raise more than £100,000 to help other children fighting cancer to go on holiday.

8-year-old Harley Staples, from Blaby, passed away last November.

His mum, Katherine, and dad, Jason, are aiming to buy a holiday home in Norfolk where seriously ill kids can go with their families for a short break.

Katherine says they want help parents and children have some time away from hospital:

"We're helpless from a medical point of view, at this stage. Whether we ever find a cure in our lifetime, we don't know, but I think anything else we can do to make these children's lives a little bit better and put a smile on their faces, then that's the least that anybody can try and do".

Katherine says it is an idea they asked Harley about before he passed away:

"We said to him 'how would you feel about buying granddad's caravan? Then we can sent other poorly children away to have a holiday'. He thought that was a really good idea, so that was what we did".

At the moment Katherine and Jason have a cabin in Leicestershire and a caravan in Norfolk where families can go, but they aim to build 'Harley's House' where they have a lot of happy memories:

"He used to go there and he loved crabbing on the pier and being on the beach. He was a little surfer boy, he loved being on his body-board and surfing. We used to take him to Cornwall and Devon a lot and he just loved being by the sea-side".

The couple are holding a music festival called Glaston-Blaby on Saturday August 7th, starting at 12pm at Northfield Park.

Local acts The Screening, Neon Sarcastic, Go Primitive, No Friend of Mine, Superevolver, The Duty and The Pennyhangers, will be performing. Tickets are available in advance by calling Katherine on 07760 427758, or on the day for people who arrive early. Prices are £10 for adults, £5 for under-12s or £30 for a family ticket.