A NURSERY graduation has raised more than £1,000 to help a young girl diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

Flora Gentleman was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma when she was just two years old.

Since then, the youngster, now aged five, has undergone treatment both in the UK and the USA.

At the end of last month, Pear Tree Nursery Meadowpark in Haddington held a fun day and graduation to raise money for Flora, who was unable to attend after being in hospital.

Raffle prizes were donated by local businesses, while there was also a tombola, face-painting, bake sales, games and more.

Thirteen team members, along with children and families, attended the event and raised £709.85, while the nursery’s parent company, Bright Star Nurseries, matched the effort to take to the total to £1,420.

Flora Gentleman with her fifth birthday cake (Image: Contributed)

Flora’s mum Stephanie thanked the nursery, which Flora does not attend, for their efforts.

She said: “It is especially heart-warming when people are doing things more than once.

“They have fundraised before and are getting involved again.

“They are taking Flora under their wing and it is really nice and takes a huge pressure off of us.”

At the beginning of April 2021, Flora was diagnosed with neuroblastoma after a large tumour was found next to one of her kidneys and cancer in her skull, behind her eyes and in her bone marrow.

She has undergone treatment at the Royal Hospital for Young People in Edinburgh, including multiple rounds of chemotherapy, a seven-hour operation, a stem cell transplant and radiotherapy.

The family, who used to live in Aberlady but now live in Haddington, also travelled to New York to take part in a bivalent vaccine clinical trial with the aim of keeping the cancer away.

However, last September, a year into the trial, the family were given the heartbreaking news that her cancer had returned.

READ MORE: Family 'devastated' after Flora's cancer returns

Stephanie told the Courier on Sunday: “She has had a rough week.

“We have just got out of hospital today and we in for 10 days after she caught some kind of virus.

“She has not had a good week, feeling lousy, and this was to be her last cycle of treatment but it was postponed.”

The youngster is due to undergo one more round of immunotherapy before another set of scans are carried out.

That could then see her continuing treatment in the USA.

To support Flora, go to www.justgiving.com/campaign/flora or to find out more go to www.facebook.com/FlorasFight