A CAMPAIGN to help a seriously-ill baby girl has been boosted after more than £6,000 was raised in only two days.

The money for one-year-old cerebral palsy-sufferer Nicole Vendettuoli, of Oakworth, Keighley, was collected at a fun day and fire walk hosted by Keighley's Three Horses Pub on Saturday, and then at an Asda bag-packing on Sunday.

It will go towards the Nicole's Wish to Walk campaign, which is seeking to collect about £70,000 to send Nicole to America for life-changing medical treatment. The total raised currently stands at just less than £14,000.

On Saturday, a group of 15 people took part in the fire walk at the pub, which was supervised by a helper from the Little Heroes charity.

Among those who participated were members of Nicole's family, including her parents Tom and Candice, of Harewood Crescent, Oakworth.

Tom Vendettuoli said: "It was a really good experience. The closest thing I can compare it to is taking a hot potato out of the oven – you don't just hold it in one hand, you pass it from one to the other!

"It was a really fun day. We thought we'd raise £2,000, or maybe £3,000, so to get £5,000 is absolutely amazing."

Candice added: "The fire walk was amazing. We raised over £5,000. It was a great atmosphere. We had 15 walkers and everyone really enjoyed themselves. We had to walk over it six times, and each time the flames got higher.

"It was better than we expected."

Angela Walton-Hawkins, of Little Heroes, said: "We normally run the fire walks for other charities and share the sponsorships. However in this case, we did not charge and did it at cost for the family and also the staff who attended did it as volunteers."

She added: "Any other families that want to raise money for child support or other charities we might be able to offer a firewalk for 'free'. Please contact Unite and Ignite on 01274 288189 for more information."

The fun day also included a live band, a bouncy castle, a cake stall, a pool tournament and a raffle. At the bag-packing, generous shoppers helped Candice and Tom raise another £1,040.

Nicole was born three months premature and had a brain haemorrhage, which led to her cerebral palsy. Her left arm and both her legs are stiff, making sitting, crawling and walking impossible.

Her family are now planning another fun day. This is at the Royal Oak in Keighley from noon on August 17.

A JustGiving page has also been set up for anyone who wants to donate to Nicole's cause. It is at justgiving.com/NicolesWishToWalk.