JUST keep praying for little Joshua. A Romsey church has pledged round-the-clock prayer as doctors announce that schoolboy Joshua Hartley faces a fresh battle after undergoing life saving treatment.

The 12-year-old has developed Graft Versus Host Disease, which means the bone marrow transplant designed to save Joshua's life has actually started attacking his body.

It means the Romsey School pupil, who had been amazing doctors with his recovery, will not be allowed home from London's Great Ormond Street Hospital as soon as he hoped.

Now Romsey's New Life Church, where the Hartley family are members, has embarked on a prayer-marathon.

Pastor Peter Light said: "We were thrilled at the good progress he was making and he was about to come home in a couple of weeks. Then he gets this little problem - but we have seen ups and downs before so we are not discouraged. We just keep praying. We have a rota so someone is praying for him every day."

Mum Allison, who donated the vital bone marrow to her eldest son, told the Daily Echo: "It's a shame that he's developed this because he was doing so well.

"He's been having temperatures for four or five days and he's come up with a rash on his body. It's his body fighting the bone marrow, which is quite common."

Joshua, who's one of four brothers suffering from one of the world's rarest genetic disorders, called Xlinked Lympho-proliferative disease (XLP), or Duncan's disease, has been given drugs to combat the new complication.

"He's very tired and yesterday he slept for about 18 hours," added Mrs Hartley. "He still goes out to the play room but it takes it out of him. He's a little bit down, but he's coping."

GVHD develops while the new immune system is building itself in the recipient's body and can cause a rash, blistering skin and also affect the stomach, causing cramps and sickness.

Joshua is thought to have a mild form of the disease, which at its worst can be life-threatening.