A senior RAF aircraft man who is battling cancer has raised over £4,000 for his local Hospice.

Shahbaz Saleem aged 27, who has served in Afghanistan and Libya was diagnosed with bowel cancer last year.

He was admitted to Pendleside Hospice recently and was taken aback by the care and support he received.

Shabz as he is known to his friends and family, hails from Reedley in Brierfield and joined the RAF as a teenager. The father of two – a four month old and two year-old - was told that his cancer is incurable.

He has six brothers and a sister who have been inspired by his upbeat spirit despite his illness.

A family member said, “He has never once been negative about his illness. He has been in such pain but was so taken in by the help he received at the Hospice.

“At the moment he is on a lot of pain relief.

“It has been really inspiring to see him raise this amount of money in such a short period of time.

“He continues to pray. He has been very positive and realises that this is God’s will.

“He said, ‘The only certainty is death. We all have to go one day’.”

As a serving member of the RAF Shahbaz has organised a number of inter-faith events help break down barriers between communities and misconceptions about the armed forces.

The family member added, “He has been quite humble about his achievements and at a young age.

“He had a very positive experience in the RAF and wanted to reach out to others.”

The Just giving page where Shahbaz is raising money reads, “A big thank you to Pendleside Hospice for the compassion and kindness you provide at an impossibly difficult time.

“We intend to raise as much money as possible for them as this is one place which truly needs our kind donations.

“Anything you donate will always go a long way to provide care for all our local community who are in need of the service.”

Shahbaz posted on the page, "Thank you all for your donations, I am overwhelmed by your generosity!

"I have increased our target so we can raise more for Pendleside hospice . Thank you again."

You can support Shahbaz's fundraising campaign here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Shahbazsaleem