Surviving cancer brings Christmas spirit to schoolboy

In February nine-year-old Ben Pratt, of Fenny Compton, underwent two successful operations to remove a muscle in his neck in which he had a rare cancer called soft tissue sarcoma.

Luckily the cancer had not spread and, following the procedures at the Leicester Royal Infirmary Hospital, Ben is now as fit and healthy as any other little boy his age.

But he still has to go for regular check-ups and seeing other children who have cancer has affected the Dassett Primary School pupil so much that he really wanted to do something to help them.

His mother Suzanne Pratt said: “Ben is fine. You wouldn’t know there was any difference between him and any other little boy, other than two scars he has on his neck. He loves to play rugby and football.

“But each time he goes to the clinic, Ben can see how lucky he is. Some of the other children - among them babies - have had to go through chemotherapy.”

Before and during Ben’s operations, Mrs Pratt, who has been raising funds for Cancer Research UK by co-organising a Christmas fair in Fenny Compton for 24 years, received offers of support from the charity CLIC Sargent, which supports children and young people with cancer.

She said: “The day Ben had his operation, a social worker from the charity came to see me on the ward and offered us financial help because I had to take time off work.

“I hadn’t even asked. They were fantastic. Having been organising Cancer Research fundraisers for so long, it was just phenomenal for me to be on the receiving end of another charity.”

So when Ben made a request for half of the proceeds from the village Christmas fair, which took place on Saturday, to go to CLIC Sargent, Mrs Pratt and Gay Mathie, who together have raised more than £46,000 for Cancer Research UK through the event, were only too happy to oblige.

The youngster, under the guise of an elf, even helped Father Christmas open the fair,

Hundreds of people who attended helped to raise around £3,400, which will be split between the two charities this year.

Mrs Pratt said: “It’s a record amount raised, which is absolutely fantastic.”

CLIC Sargent is the only UK charity to offer children and young people with cancer dedicated care and support.