A VILLAGE has raised an amazing £17,500 to help pay for a young lad's cancer treatment.

Joe Glover, eight, pictured left, is battling a very rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that is believed to affect only one in 80 million people.

He lives in Colden Common, near Winchester and the money has been raised through the generosity of the villagers.

Joe's dad, Paul, of Piping Green, said: "People have been fantastic, the amount of enthusiasm is amazing."

Joe is doing well and has returned to school on most days. He is a big Wayne Rooney fan. He is enjoying the World Cup and playing football as much as possible.

He has had radiotherapy and it is said to have been relatively successful, said Paul.

The family are awaiting news of trials of drugs in the US but another possibility is a bone marrow stem cell transplant in this country.

A recent disco at the Rising Sun in Magdalen Hill, Winchester, for whom Paul used to play football, raised £795.

A fundraising event will be held at the Dog and Crook pub in Brambridge on July 20.

Chemotherapy was used to tackle the disease in his arm and stomach but the disease returned in his feet.