THE family of a girl who is in remission after battling a rare cancer have emigrated to Australia to relaunch their lives after learning excellent treatment was available there.

Michelle and Garry Simpson said they had moved 10,000 miles from Leeming, near Bedale, to Melbourne to fulfil a long-held ambition and overcome the trauma of their youngest child Fraja's struggle with MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma.

The lives of the couple and their other children, Durham School pupils Howie, 16, and Erinn, 14, were thrown into turmoil in 2013 as Fraja underwent gruelling treatment.

They devoted themselves to caring for her and raising £500,000 for treatment for the unavailable on the NHS should she relapse.

The appeal touched the hearts of thousands of people, and inspired scores of fundraising events across North Yorkshire and the North East.

After surgeons confirmed last year that Fraja's remaining MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells had vanished the appeal total neared £200,000, but then the number of fundraising events slowed as the Leeming RAF Community Primary pupil began to look well.

While the fundraising campaign is continuing, Mr Simpson, originally of Consett, said it had become apparent many people did not understand the appeal had been to raise funds for Fraja if she relapsed over the next five years, and about 80 per cent of children with neuroblastoma relapse.

Mrs Simpson, a pharmaceutical technician, said while the decision to move to Australia had been made easier after being reassured about the range of treatments available, they had been given four weeks to move after her husband was offered a job.

She added it had been tough to say goodbye to her husband's parents, Ann and Terry Simpson, of Consett, who are both battling cancer.

She said: "We have reached a point where we have to try and start living again.

"The laughter in our house was not there any more and I wanted to get that laughter back.

"We need to draw a line at some point in our lives and tell cancer it's not going to rule us.

"We have no idea what is going to happen, with this cancer anything can happen, but Fraja is happy, she is full of energy and full of positivity, life now is good and I hope this is how it will stay."

Mrs Simpson said Fraja was undergoing a series of tests this week to check whether the disease had returned.

A Fraja Ellie Appeal spokeswoman said until Fraja had been in remission for five years the money raised would remain in the UK, after which time it would be given to another child needing the therapy.