A Silsden youngster with leukaemia has been treated to the Christmas trip of a lifetime.

Jack Jeff spent a day in Finnish Lapland with his mother Lucy Cutting.

They travelled to Rovaniemi, near the Arctic Circle, as part of a tour arranged by When You Wish Upon A Star, a charity set up to create brilliant memories for seriously-ill children and their families.

Jack, who lives in Cornwall Avenue and is a pupil at Aire View Infant School, was diagnosed with leukaemia in May last year.

His mum said that earlier this year she was contacted by the Macmillan Cancer Nurses organisation, who asked whether she and Jack would be interested in going to Lapland.

They were flown to Finland from Humberside Airport in the early hours of last Tuesday and returned that evening.

Their visit may have been brief, but Jack was able to make the most of it.

Miss Cutting, 25, said the trip was “magical” and that Jack was taken on reindeer, husky dog and snowmobile rides.

She said he and the other youngsters and carers also enjoyed a barbecue, played in the snow and met Santa.

She said: “Jack absolutely loved it and so did I. It was the best experience I’ve ever had.

“Jack had never even flown before. It was his first time on an aeroplane, so that was fantastic for him. The smile he gave us that day – I hadn’t seen that smile for so long.

“He had so much fun he was shattered at the end of the day. He slept all the way home on the plane.

“The work they do at this charity is phenomenal. They deserve a medal.”