THE mother of York brain tumour victim Emily Nicholson has revealed how a stranger visited their home and donated £500 to a £30,000 appeal to fund specialist treatment abroad.

Joanne Nicholson, of Foxwood, said the shock donation - coming on top of a pig racing night held at a city club at the weekend - meant the appeal had raced past the £7,000 mark - up from £2,000 just a week ago.

The Press reported last Monday how Emily, 24, was raising money towards the cost of undergoing expensive immunotherapy vaccine treatment in Germany.

She said it was her only hope after the cancer spread to a part of her brain which surgeons could not reach.

At that stage, the appeal total stood at just over £2,000, but the story has been followed by a surge in donations.

Joanne said the man just turned up at her door at the weekend to hand over the cheque, saying he had read about Emily in The Press. “I was actually speechless,” she said, saying she wanted to thank the man so much.

She said the pig racing night, which raised £1,400, was organised at the Clarence Club by Natalia Joanne of Club 68 community centre in the Monkton Road area, which Emily went to when younger.

Joanne posted a message on Facebook to Natalie saying: “You are amazing. We have never met you and yet you pulled out all the stops last night. You are an angel, a massive thank you.” Natalia replied: “It’s my pleasure. Glad it was a success.”

Supporters have also taken to social media to praise the man who gave £500, with one posting: “A true gentleman, such a beautiful & kind gesture, bless him.”

The appeal is the second to be launched for Emily. In 2016, having emigrated to Australia four years earlier from York, more than £8,000 was raised to pay for her to come back to York to see her old friends for one final time. She thrived so well that her family subsequently decided to return permanently to the city.

*To donate to Emily’s appeal, go to https://www.gofundme.com/emily-beating-brain-cancer.