A 12-year-old boy is using his pet ferrets to help him raise money for research into a rare cancer.

Oliver Avison-Fell, from Settle, wanted to fundraise for The Lynch Syndrome charity after his mum’s good friend, Kirsten Lishman, died from the disease last year.

And animal lover Oliver, a student at Settle College, decided an evening of ferret racing would be just the ticket.

Oliver said: “I have pet ferrets – one of them has just had five babies – and I’ve had lots of fun racing them in the past. I thought a ferret racing evening would be a great way of raising money and remembering Kirsten.”

The ferrets will race through specially constructed pipes which will be suspended from the ceiling at North Ribblesdale Rugby Club on Friday October 23.

Oliver hopes ferret fanciers from miles around will bring their animals to take part and lots of people will come to cheer on the creatures as they run through the overhead tunnels. Entry is £1 on the door. To enter a ferret in a race costs £2.

More information on the charity can be found at www.lynch-syndrome-uk.org