Family and friends have rallied round a terminally ill man from Adlington.

Father-of-three Mike Turner, 37, recently started palliative chemotherapy after being diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer.

Despite being told by doctors that there was nothing more that could be done, Mike's loved ones haven't given up hope and have started raising money to fund a specialist procedure called hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), which is not currently available through the NHS..

Since setting up the JustGiving page at the end of November, over £34,000 has been donated towards Mike's treatment.

"A team of family and friends worked incredibly hard over a two-week period, reaching out to local businesses who were extremely generous in donating prizes," said family friend Allica Hitchener.

"We've honestly been overwhelmed by the response.

"People have been so kind and generous, far beyond anything we expected, and we can't thank everyone enough for their support."

READ MORE: 'We are not giving up' - Terminally ill father-of-three in race against time to fund specialist treatment

Adlington resident Mike Turner was recently diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer (Credit: JustGiving)

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Allica spoke about the immense difficulty of balancing day-to-day life with a serious illness.

She says Mike and his partner of 12 years, Lucy Murphy, have done 'an amazing job' of keeping life as normal as possible for their daughters.

Allicia added: "We're really hoping Mike will be home for Christmas to make some special memories together as a family.

"They want to have Christmas just how they would have it any other year."

On Tuesday, December 16, Allicia and the fundraising team held a bingo night, bringing in around £1,600.

"Given the bingo was organised so close to Christmas, the overall turnout and generosity of everyone that came was amazing," Allica said.

Looking ahead to future fundraising, Allica said they're 'already planning next year's events.'

To find out more and to donate towards Mike's treatment, visit his JustGiving page here.

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