A heroic schoolboy fundraising for charity while battling cancer faces cancelling his latest venture.
Toby Etheridge, 10, and his family have struggled to sell tickets for a ball with a dinner cooked by former MasterChef champion Jamie Scott.
They have until next Friday to save the glitzy evening, which they hope will help them toward’s Toby’s ambition of raising £5,000 for CLIC Sargent.
Mum Alison said: “He will be devastated if we have to cancel.”
Toby, from Cupar, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in December 2014 and has another two years of chemotherapy ahead of him.
He returned to St Columba’s Primary School last September after several months absent, but is off again with a bout of pneumonia.
Alison said: “He said from day one that he wanted to fundraiser, because he wanted to give something back to the people who have helped him.”
Toby has a CLIC Sargent nurse and when he is in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh the charity also provides a play therapist.
To help the cause, Toby has embarked on a series of fundraisers, including dying his hair purple before shaving it off, while his dad, Richie, is to cycle 300km up the coast of Brazil in September.
But Toby’s 1st Magical Ball, in Cupar’s Corn Exchange on March 1, will be his biggest do to date.
The youngster, who has older siblings Jessica, 18, and Samuel, 15, has been heavily involved in organising the evening, choosing the colour theme and discussing the menu with Jamie.
But only 17 tickets have been sold and Alison said they need another 80 guests confirmed by next Friday.
Alison said: “People may be waiting until the last minute, but we have to let Jamie, CLIC Sargent and others involved know whether it can go ahead.”
Tickets are available through Toby’s Facebook page, Toby’s Magical Journey to be Cancer Free, the Brown Paper Tickets website and outlets in Cupar including the SNP office in Bonnygate.