THESE are sad days for Alek Malinka’s parents. Their son, who remains in a coma following a sledging accident while on holiday, is almost certainly not going to recover fully from his head injuries.

However, we hope they will gain some solace from the announcement that a fundraising drive to bring Alek home has exceeded its target in less than a week.

In fact the amount stands at almost £14,000 and now the aim is to raise £30,000 to help provide support for the family once they are back together.

We have been deeply touched by the community response to this event, because the best thing will be for Alek to be back at home. Thanks to big-hearted friends, at least his parents won’t have to worry about how to fund the trip.