LIKE most six-year-olds, Rhys Mott wants to play with his friends and spend time with his mum and sister.

But the plucky Blackwood boy is battling an aggressive brain tumour, with another year of gruelling chemotherapy to go before he gets any chance of a normal life.

Rhys' godmother, Sarah Williams, however, has now set up a charity to make the family's life as easy as possible, and to raise money for children with cancer.

Organisers at the Little Yellow Digger Appeal want to send Rhys, his mum Lisa, 28, and his sister Shannon, eight, on a dream holiday when he is well enough.

A group at Crumlin business Unisem Europe Limited recently raised over £1,000 by running the Cardiff Marathon. So far £7,000 has been raised in all.

Diagnosed in February with an inoperable malignant tumour, Rhys is due to have a scan next March to see if it has grown. He is too young for radiotherapy and will have chemotherapy for at least another year.

Mum Lisa Howe said: "I had no idea at all. He had a lazy eye and a perforated eardrum but it was all down to a doctor who just knew something wasn't right.

"He noticed Rhys only smiled with half his face and sent him straight for a scan. I felt terrible because he'd had it since he was born and I thought it was just something he did."

When she found out what was wrong with her son, Lisa said she was "devastated".

She said: "I just didn't expect it. You don't think about brain tumours when you look at your child. I was so shocked."

But she added: "He copes with it so well. His attitude is just to get on with it, that you can't feel sorry for yourself.

"Nothing stops him. He's running around doing everything he's always done."

To find out more about the Yellow Digger Appeal, email littleyellowdigger@lycos.co.uk.