A COMMUNITY has been rallying to support the parents of little Isaac Haggerty, the nine-month-old who is battling a rare form of leukaemia.

On Saturday more than £2,000 was raised at a charity rugby league fixture between teams from Thatto Heath and Pilkington Recs and this weekend fundraisers will take part in the St Helens 10K and a charity walk.

Baby Isaac is the son of former Super League rugby player and ex-Recs coach Gareth Haggerty and his wife Claire. He was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease in January and has been receiving intensive treatment at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where Gareth and Claire, who have been unable to work, have spent countless hours at his bedside.

Isaac, described as a “tough little ‘un” by his dad, may need to undergo a bone marrow transplant in the summer and the Haggertys are encouraging people to sign up for the Anthony Nolan Trust, which seeks for donors.

Mum Claire, tweeted that 14 people will be running in the 10Kto support Team Isaac on Sunday.

Meanwhile, between 20 and 30 people will walk seven miles from Eccleston Mere School to Alder Hey, raising funds for the Alder Hey Children’s Charity.

Gareth’s second cousin Karen Bibby, one of the walk’s organisers said: “We were going to do the walk – Some of us are going one way and the braver ones will do both ways – and donate £5 each, but friends have heard about it and started donating money too. We’ll request they use our donation in the oncology department.”

Walkers will set off at 10am on Sunday.