A DIE-HARD Newcastle fan has had a cheeky tattoo of his arch-rivals’ emblem stamped on his bottom following a dare – and all in a good cause.

Magpies devotee Shaun Connelly, who now has Sunderland's prowling feline figure on his left buttock, has raised about £1,400 towards a fund to help three-year-old Charlie Thornton, of South Moor, Stanley.

Charlie suffers from a genetic condition which leaves him unable to sit up and talk or breathe and eat by himself.

His parents Stephen and Kay Thornton will be able to buy a specially-adapted van to take him to Beechdale Nursery School in Consett, where staff have been trained to care for him.

Mr Connelly, of Chester-le-Street, who has been a Newcastle United season ticket holder for 16 years, said : “My friend Keith Franklin was arranging a football match for Charlie.

“I used to play on the same team at Pelton Crown and said that if they managed to raise £800 I would have a tattoo of SAFC's Black Cat done on my bottom.

“I thought they would reach the target, but never thought they would exceed it by so much.”

Mr Connelly added: “My friends and partner cannot believe what I have done. But it is out of sight and out of mind. And it is all in a good cause.”

Mr Connelly, said colleagues at the snack food producer KP Snacks had also contributed toward the fund.

Mrs Thornton said: “What he has done is fantastic. He is just a friend of a friend and for him to do this to help...

“We have been gobsmacked that people have been so kind – especially when most of them have never met us before.”

The family had hoping to raise about £4,000, but the fund has now reached around £10,000.

Keith Franklin, Tracey Harrison and Paul Bainbridge, who organised a football match at the weekend, raised about £4,000, while a charity boxing match organised by Anthony Daglish raised around £6,000.