THE family of a five-year-old girl diagnosed with a rare cancer are ‘praying for a miracle’ after her condition worsened.

Helen Robinson, 24, from Burnley, was trying to raise between £150,000 and £300,000 to pay for successful experimental treatment in Barcelona for her daughter Caitlin.

The mother-of-two was devastated when her elder daughter was diagnosed with advanced neuroblastoma in April last year and was pinning her hopes on the new therapy in Spain.

Earlier this year Caitlin developed a new tumour on her head and Miss Robinson was told she was too ill to wait for the fundraising campaign to reach its target - despite former One Direction singer Zayn Malik giving £10,000.

Miss Robinson has opted for an alternative trial treatment at the Manchester Children’s Hospital despite being told by doctors it is unlikely to clear the cancer totally.

The Save Caitlin gofundme.com campaign stands at £18,741 and will now be used to give Caitlin the best quality of life possible. On Saturday, Burnley Fire Station in Belvedere Road will stage a sponsored car wash to raise cash for Caitlin and the firefighters charity.

Miss Robinson, who has a baby daughter Skyla, said: “Caitlin, who is six on March 5, is not well. She is so brave.

“She developed a new tumour on her head and we just cannot wait to raise the money to send her to Barcelona for treatment. We have been told there is a new trial at Manchester Children's Hospital and she has now started that. The doctors have told us that it is unlikely to clear the cancer completely. We are just praying for a miracle.

“We are hoping that either it does clear the cancer or that by the time it is finished, there will be a new treatment that can. We are just living in the day and will use the money to give Caitlin the best life and experiences we can.”

The Burnley fire station event, organised by Stuart Gervaise, lasts from 10am to 4pm.