A STAGGERING £40,500 has been raised in a frantic week of fundraising for four-year-old cancer sufferer Charlie Jarvis whose story has captured the hearts of people in the town.

After the urgent appeal to raise cash for therapy at a leading American clinic appeared in the Evening Advertiser on Wednesday, businesses and individuals in the town went into overdrive to help Charlie in any way they could.

A special charity account has been flooded with individual donations and businesses in the town have organised a host of events to raise money for the plucky youngster.

Charlie's aunt, Mandy, has been in contact with Charlie's parents Paul and Samantha Jarvis since they flew out to Houston, Texas, on Sunday.

And she explained that the family are due to return to Swindon on Friday after their first exploratory visit.

She said: "The Bruzinski Clinic has agreed to treat Charlie, although they said she will be given a different drug to the one that we thought she would receive.

"The problem is that the new course of drugs, which will be in tablet form, costs more than we expected.

"As I understand it, we now need to raise about £70,000."

She added that any excess money left in the account would be used to buy an advanced type of ventilator which helped save Charlie's life at Alder Hey children's hospital earlier this year.

Charlie was diagnosed a year ago with Neuroblastoma, a rare form of juvenile cancer.

Despite undergoing surgery to tumours in her skull and near her kidney, and chemotherapy, the cancer has returned. NHS doctors have told the family they can do nothing more to save Charlie's life, but her parents have displayed dogged determination in the fight to extend her life.

A fun weekend at Asda Wal-Mart raised £6,300, Woolworths donated £5,000 and Safeway in Haydon Wick raised £3,500 from a summer fair.

Future fundraising ideas for Charlie include:

A sponsored wheelchair event on September 15, organised by First City Nursing Services

An auction of signed photographs of England footballers organised by the Evening Advertiser and England team sponsors Nationwide Building Society

A sponsored life-sized game of table football at Asda Wal-Mart in Haydon Wick on Saturday. Teams of five people are invited to take part free of charge. Contact Shelly Fennel on 707770

Three brave male volunteers have agreed to take part in a sponsored chest wax at the Wheatsheaf Pub in Upper Stratton on August 2 at 7.30pm