A SCHOOLBOY who pledged to raise £5,000 for the charity Cancer Research in order to make his terminally-ill father proud has smashed his target.

Eight-year-old Callum Lane-Tingle, whose father Andrew is suffering from kidney cancer, has raised thousands of pounds by selling necklaces, keyrings, bracelets and bookmarks at craft fairs.

After reaching his £5,000 goal, he now plans to carry on with his charity efforts, as family members prepare next to take part in a Relay for Life event next month in Middlesbrough.

Recently, every ticket was sold for a 80s themed night held at the Hardwick Social Club in Stockton organised by Mr Tingle’s family and hosted by BBC Tees presenter Paul ‘Goffy’ Gough.

The charity do also saw a performance by Great Ayton based singer Keith Hammersley, who has released a cover of the Barry Gibb song ‘The Morning of My Life’ to further boost the funds being raised.

Mr Tingle, a pub company operations director, who lives in Whitton Road, Stockton, had a kidney and his adrenal gland removed last April.

However, he subsequently discovered that the cancer had spread to his lungs, pancreas and lymph nodes and he now has just months to live.

The 47-year-old, who is married to Cheryl and has a daughter, Chloe, said: “We are all so very proud of Callum.

“To raise in excess of £5,000 and then to pledge to raise more for cancer research is nothing short of remarkable.

“Callum is a very special son and he has been blessed with loads of charm which makes him so loveable and engaging.”