A brave mum whose baby daughter was struck down with a very rare form of cancer will shave off her hair to thank a hospital charity.

Seven-month-old Poppy-Mai Tunaley, from Accrington, has been undergoing treatment at Manchester Children’s Hospital since January after she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Amelia Tunaley and husband Glen, 54, have been able to remain by their daughter’s side by staying at nearby Ronald McDonald House, and have thanked the charity for its ‘fantastic’ support.

The couple - who married two weeks before Poppy-Mai was diagnosed - have been staying in an en-suite room for nearly three months and have only been asked to pay a £25 key card deposit.

Now Amelia is aiming to repay their kindness and hospitality by raising £5,000 for Ronald McDonald House through a sponsored head shave, which she is aiming to do at some point in the next few weeks.

Amelia said: “I can’t thank them enough. They provided us with everything we need and have been a great help over the last few months.

"They gave us a place to stay so we could be close to Poppy. It’s a home away from home.

“They do a fantastic job each and every single day. They support you as much as they can and make you feel part of the family.

“If you manage to raise £5,000 then you get to sponsor a room for three years. You get your own plaque and we will put it in Poppy-Mai’s name.”

Poppy-Mai Tunaley pictured with mum Amelia at Ronald McDonald House Manchester.

Poppy-Mai has now been in remission for a month but Amelia said ‘there’s still a possibility it might come back’.

She is due to finish her second bout of intensive chemotherapy this week, with a bone marrow transplant due to follow soon after.

She will then be in isolation for up to eight weeks.

The former Rhyddings pupil said their family was shocked and angry to discover Poppy-Mai had been diagnosed with leukaemia on New Year’s Day.

Amelia, 22, said: “We couldn’t believe it. There were a lot of emotions. Anger, upset, we kept asking ‘why her?’

“At first we thought she was going to die. It’s my first child so it’s been really hard.

“We just got married and were hoping to start afresh this year but then all of a sudden this happened.”

To support the head shave visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Amelia-Tunaley