AS donations roll in to our CLIC Appeal we have a double dose of good news to report.Not only have we now raised nearly £3,000 to help children suffering from cancer and leukaemia in East Anglia.

AS donations roll in to our CLIC Appeal we have a double dose of good news to report.

Not only have we now raised nearly £3,000 to help children suffering from cancer and leukaemia in East Anglia. We have also heard that little George Pennick who helped launch our campaign has been cancer free for three months.

The CLIC into Action appeal aims to generate £50,000 to continue funding a nursing post and a child specialist in our region. In just two weeks, with your help, we have collected £2,922.

We can also report that, to the enormous relief of his parents, Rachel and Tim Pennick, 14-month-old George has now been given a clean bill of health since his last check-up, with no re-growth of his aggressive eye tumours.

Rachel and Tim knew there was a strong possibility that George, who suffers from bilateral retinoblastoma, would have to have at least one eye removed as the cancer took hold.

Tim, 42, is completely blind, having had both his eyes removed as a baby after developing the same condition. His mother, George's grandmother, also lost her eyes to tumours.

The Pennicks, who live in Martlesham, Ipswich, were afraid that doctors at London's St Bartholomew's Hospital would find George's tumours had grown back.

They had both been shocked by the ferocity of the cancer, especially the tumours in George's right eye.

But months of chemotherapy, together with platelet and blood transfusions, appear to have paid off.

Specialists have now revealed there has been no re-growth in either eye for three months.

George's dad, a software engineer for BT, said: “We had a very good report this time. We aren't out of the woods yet but this is another big step in the right direction. We won't have to go up to London again for another four months.

“We were very concerned when he was first born at how aggressive the tumours were. But the treatment has been going very well and so far, seems to be keeping it at bay.

“You never can tell what the future has in store. Once he is five it is very unlikely that any new tumours will grow but there is always the likelihood that there could be further action in the old tumours. He will have to have annual check ups until he is 16.”