A CAMPAIGN to raise money for treatment for a schoolboy with cancer has topped £250,000 within 10 days.

The appeal for £500,000 for Oscar Saxelby-Lee is now the fastest-growing campaign currently being hosted by charity fundraising site, Virgin Money Giving.

An outpouring of support for the five-year-old schoolboy from Worcester has seen dozens of individuals, schools, sports teams, dance clubs and businesses pledge money and organise events in a bid to raise the mammoth sum needed for Oscar to have specialist treatment abroad.

The fundraising currently stands at nearly £265,000 but, despite the rising total, Oscar remains desperately ill and today has returned to hospital to discover whether bridging chemotherapy is succeeding at keeping his leukaemia at bay.

Even if the treatment is working, his family say doctors have told them he only has a window of between three and five weeks in which he will be strong enough to travel to Singapore and undergo specialist CAR-T cell therapy - which is not currently available on the NHS.

Oscar's mum Olivia Saxelby, from St John's, said: "We are overwhelmed with the community spirit and generosity of Oscar's Army.

"Never have we felt so supported by such an amazing amount of people.

"From the bottom of our hearts, thank you."

The family say they have been spurred on by the community's response to their emotional appeal for help to save their son after a stem cell transplant in May failed. Oscar, who has a rare T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, was briefly cancer free after the transplant but the leukaemia returned.

Fundraisers across the city and wider county have stepped up to try to reach the £500,000 needed with schools and workplaces organising an 'Oscar day', and individuals taking on sporting challenges, or helping with bucket collections and even collecting coins to try and raise the money.

Ms Saxelby urged people to carry on helping, saying: "If you haven't organised an Oscar day whether it be in school, at work, or any event, please follow Oscar's page on Facebook (Hand in Hand for Oscar) to get ideas for events.

"Together we are stronger."