Family of terminally ill boy deliver hospital gifts

Elias, four, from Radstock, Somerset, was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour eight months ago

The family of a boy from Radstock who has an inoperable brain tumour will be delivering donated presents to hospitalised children this Christmas.

Elias, four, from Radstock, Somerset, was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour eight months ago and given a nine to 12 month life expectancy.

"With what's going on, it's opened our eyes to what other children go through," dad Jake said.

Mum Abbie, Jake and Elias, will be walking to the Royal United Hospitals, Bath, (RUH) on the 22 December to deliver the gifts.

Jake said it will be a "special and emotional day for us".

"Elias has touched so many people's hearts... he's such a special boy and everyone loves him.

"We've been put in this nightmare, so just to have so many people support us, support him… it does remind you there is good in the world," he added.

Elias is on a drug that mum Abbie said is "purely a trial" as there is no known cure for the type of brain tumour he has, DIPG (diffused intrinsic pontine glioma).

"If they can extend his life by two-three months, that's a good result but it's just one of those things we've just got to wait and see," Jake added.

Nicky and Neil Halford set up Time is Precious in memory of their son Ben who died from a brain tumour in 2010, aged five

The family joined up with charity Time is Precious, based in Somerset, which was founded in memory of Nicky and Neil Halford's son Ben, who passed away aged five, from a brain tumour.

Team Elias and Time is Precious have a giving tree set up at the Hive community café in Peasedown St John near Bath.

People were able to take a tag from the Christmas tree, buy the suggested gift and bring it back to the café to be wrapped by the Time is Precious team for children in hospital over Christmas.

Ms Halford said Time is Precious supports the NHS by making places "less clinical and more child-friendly".

"It's an awful time to be in hospital over Christmas so this brings smiles and joy.

"And the community has been absolutely fantastic. It really gets behind people, especially children.

"You don't ever expect to lose your child before you go and I just think the support has been amazing."

Katie Chun, manager of the Hive says the response to the giving tree has been incredible

Katie Chun, manager of the Hive community centre, said the take-up of the giving tree had been "absolutely incredible".

"We put a Facebook post out [at the start of December] and the amount of gifts that were given immediately was incredible.

"We actually had to put new tags on there, because so many people had taken them."

The deadline for giving gifts was Monday, and now the Time is Precious team will wrap the gifts for Team Elias to deliver them to the RUH in time for Christmas.