The family of a terminally-ill boy are making a final push to improve his quality of life with a flight to Ireland.

The Rafferty family have given up almost everything to give Jake, who suffers from severe tumours, a better life.

Yet their wish for Jake will come with a price tag of £8,000 to move his specialist medical equipment.

Since 2012, the schoolboy, originally of Britannia Close, Halling, has been wheelchair-bound after doctors found extensive tumours on his spine and brain.

The 15-year-old has fought back from tumour removal, which left him paralysed, spine straightening rods bursting through his back and the effects of chemotherapy.

But this hasn’t stopped Jake. With the help of his father, ex-policeman Adrian, and mother, Emma, he’s climbed Mount Snowdon, competed in wheelchair rugby and raised thousands for spinal and brain tumour research through multiple fun nights and parties.

The family now want to improve Jake’s quality of life by moving closer to family in Wexford, Ireland, where the pace is slower.

Mr Rafferty, 51, took early retirement and has invested his pension into renovating a house there to give Jacob a room and washing facilities.

But the family of seven - which includes siblings Jess, 14, Lizzie, 12, Oliver, 10 and George, aged seven - is staying at Demelza House hospice in Bobbing so Jake can get treatment until they can pay for his flight out.

Jake is now bed-bound, receiving palliative care and heavily dependent on oxygen.

Doctors say the safest way to get him to Ireland would be on a medical flight. That will cost £8,000.

Three weeks ago, the family thought they had lost Jacob forever.

Mr Rafferty said: “He was taken to hospital but we decided if he was going to go, it would be at home.

“The priest came to read him his last rites. We didn’t know if he’d make it through the night, it was horrendous.

“The move is at a difficult time for Jake’s condition but you can’t plan for it - one minute he’s great, the next minute he’s very poorly. It’s difficult for him to speak at the moment but we’ve noticed he’s getting a little bit louder.

“It’s the small things that please him, I want to take him to the pub, watch Man United and walk home with a hot bag of chips. I know it doesn’t sound much but he would love it.

“We can see him improving every day and think a calmer pace of life would help that. If he just opens his eyes and smiles, we all say Jake’s back.”

The Raffertys were due to move last week but the added expense of a medical plane set them back.

It will cost £8,000 for a specially-equipped private flight carrying Jacob’s oxygen bottles, breathing mask, bed and someone to provide medical supervision during the flight.

Mr Rafferty said: “It costs £1,000 a month for Jacob’s diet and supplements. We’ve tightened our belts as much we can.

“Over here, Jake was living in the garage. It wasn’t suitable for him.”

He said the property they had now bought in Ireland was better suited to Jake’s needs but there was nothing left to fund the flight.

He added: “I’ve worked all my life, every single penny I’ve got has gone into that house, to Jake and the family.

“If you don’t want to donate that’s fine, but the generosity we’ve received from complete strangers has been incredible. Charities have been a big help but we’re almost embarrassed to go back to them.”

An anonymous charity donated £900 and Lucy Air Ambulance for Children donated £5,000 - £1,100 more is needed. You can donate via GoFundMe page here.