A FAMILY friend moved by the Save Our Stan appeal is set to embark on a motorbiking challenge to raise money.

David McKnight has known Stanley Dalton’s family for a long time and as soon as he saw the appeal to raise £500,000 for the youngster's life-saving treatment, he desperately wanted to do all he could.

Said Mr McKnight: “I was like 'what am I going to do?' Everyone is off on furlough and short of money. So when I was talking to Lee [Stanley’s dad], who I have known for years, I said if I can get down to Land's End and back and raise a couple of hundred pounds it’s more than I could take out of my pocket.”

Two-year-old Stanley, from Carlisle, has T-CELL Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and his only hope of survival is to travel for treatment in Singapore, because there is no treatment available in the UK.

Mr McKnight put his idea of riding to Land's End and back in one go on Go Fund me and the idea has gone crazy, raising over £3,000 for Stanley’s appeal.

He will leave Carlisle at 4am on Saturday and will only stop to refuel. The trip, just under 1,000 miles, should take about 15 hours.

The challenge will also be a physical one for Mr McKnight too, who still suffers back problems after a major accident in 2014. "But it’s for the best cause ever," he said. “I’m excited about it. I said to my wife if I could raise £500 I would ride there and back with a smile on my face because you know you’ve done something.”

Mr McKnight's fuel has been sponsored by Mark Thorburn, and Cubby's Signs is making him leaflets for the ride.

After setting his target at just £1,000 Mr McKnight is overwhelmed by the support. He said: “It has just blown my target right out of the water.”

To donate go to https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/saveourstan1