A campaign to help a dying father spend more time with his family has got off to a flying start.

The Argus has set up the Neil Cooper Appeal to help pay for the urgent medical care he needs to have a hope of watching his baby daughter grow up.

The Argus Appeal, which supports good causes across Sussex, kicked things off with a donation of £1,000 and offers have already been flooding in from readers touched by Mr Cooper's story.

Mr Cooper, from Portslade, has an untreatable form of cancer affecting his lungs and kidneys and was told in January he had only two months to live.

Normal chemotherapy has not worked for 33-year-old Mr Cooper as his condition is too advanced. But the latest treatment on trial is not available on the NHS and it is expensive, with each three-week session costing about £10,000.

There is no guarantee the treatment will work but there is a good chance it would prolong Mr Cooper's life by several months or possibly more.

It may also stabilise his condition for long enough until more research and treatments are developed in the future that may help him.

Mr Cooper and his wife Wendy, 32, are facing an uncertain future but want to spend as much precious time as possible together with their six-month-old daughter Caitlin. The Stillwell family from Worthing immediately donated £500 to the appeal.

The family have set up their own charity called Tantara's Wish to raise money for research into a rare and untreatable cancer called von Hippel Lindeau syndrome.

It is an inherited condition which causes tumours throughout the body, including in the brain, eyes and kidneys.

Allen Stillwell, 43, was diagnosed with the condition in November 2001 and two of his four children, Tantara, nine, and Ella, seven, also have the illness.

Mr Stillwell's wife Tracey, 33, said she had been moved to tears by Mr Cooper's story. She said: "It is a way of one family dealing with cancer helping another. It has really made me feel quite lucky that we have the privilege of time on our side and I would love to help in some way.

"So many people have helped us in the past to enable us to have a future - a commodity that is priceless."

Appeal co-ordinator Elsa Gillio said: "We are very grateful for the donations that have come in so far and every penny counts.

"We have a long way to go and we are calling on the whole community to get involved including businesses, schools, clubs and other groups and organisations.

"I'm hoping we can come together as a community to help this family. They are an ordinary family who are in extraordinary circumstances.

"The question to ask is how much would you spend to buy yourself just one extra day with your child? What we want to do is give Neil as many extra days as we possibly can."

Cheques made payable to The Argus can be sent to: The Neil Cooper Appeal, Argus House, Crowhurst Road, Brighton, BN1 8AR. Alternatively, donationas can
be made by credit card. Anyone wanting to make a donation or want to find out how they can help with fund-raising can contact Elsa Gillio on 01273 544465 or 07796 318402 or email elsa.gillio@theargus.co.uk .