A FOUR-year-old boy who has lost his battle with cancer, will have the 'send off he deserves' thanks to the people of Grimethorpe.

Local people have raised more than £5,000 to pay for Jake Croft's funeral after hearing he had died just weeks after being diagnosed with leukaemia.

His grandma, Karin McHardy, said Jake deteriorated after having his first batch of chemotherapy last Thursday and went into intensive care.

She said the doctors called Jake's parents Claire, 29, and Stuart, 37, along with his grandparents to tell them there was nothing more they could do.

He died on Friday night and Karin said nurses dressed Jake in his Batman onsie, and put his teddy in his arms.

The funeral will be held on Wednesday at 1.30pm in St Luke's Church, Grimethorpe, and the family want people to come in their normal clothes rather than dress in black. They also want mourners to bring balloon bouquets instead of flowers and single balloons to be released afterwards.