A KIND-hearted Greenmount schoolgirl was inspired to raise £1,000 for the Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour charity after her brother bearing the same name was diagnosed with a similar condition.

Catherine Wilson, aged 12, who attends Tottington High, decided to donate her pocket money to the charity and boosted the amount by holding jumble sales and book sales at her home in Redwing Road, as well as bag-packing at a local store.

Her 11-year-old brother, Joshua, was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour in 2011.

In an e-mail to Dawn Fidler, who runs the Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour charity, Catherine said: " I chose the 'Super Josh' charity because I have a brother, also named Joshua Wilson, who has a pituitary tumour which, thankfully, at the moment needs no treatment.

"I think meeting 'Super Josh' brought home to me just how lucky my brother is. Also, I thought Josh was such a brave, thoughtful generous person to do all the charity work he did, even though he was poorly.

"He had the biggest, most awesome smile ever. I will never forget him and will always help you, Dawn, to raise money for 'Super Josh's' wonderful charity."

Dawn said: "We are so very grateful to Catherine and her family for their support. For one 12-year old to raise £1,000 on her own is an amazing achievement.

"Catherine's story also highlights the need for us to maintain and grow the charity and Josh's legacy. Two Joshua Wilsons from the same town with brain tumours shows something of the growing scale of these illnesses."

Catherine's mum, Gail, said that her son Joshua, was diagnosed with his benign brain tumour four years ago and undergoes MRI scans every three months.