A Sutton family have launched a fundraising drive to support the development of cancer treatment in the UK after their five-year-old daughter died from the disease earlier this year.

Michaela and Darren Pyne lost their youngest child, Chloe, to an aggressive form of brain cancer in May and are continuing the Chloe Pyne Fund, launched last year, under the umbrella of the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust.

The couple started fundraising in October 2005 when doctors told them that Chloe's only chance of survival was to go to America for pioneering treatment which would cost between $100,000 and $200,000.

However, when she died after a nine-month fight against the disease, the couple from Warwick Road decided to continue raising money to advance the treatment for brain cancer available in the UK.

Mrs Pyne said: "The main reason we were trying to raise money in the first place was to send Chloe to America because we thought we would have a better chance of finding treatment there, but this would have cost us $100,000 or possibly more. We want to try and help other families so that they don't have to go through what we have been through and can access treatment in this country."

The couple, who received donations from people across the borough to help fund Chloe's trip have donated this money to medical research as their daughter died before she had the chance to make the journey.

Mrs Pyne said: "People were so generous and we can't thank them enough. We have divided the money we raised between universities so that they can do more research into her condition in this country and are in the process of making a donation to the Royal Marsden Hospital."

She added: "Chloe was a very, very brave little girl to the end and we still miss her and love her very much. We just want to try and change things for other families who are going through what we did."

The next fundraising activity organised in aid of the Chloe Pyne Fund is a fancy dress bike ride from the Millennium Wheel to Epsom Downs Racecourse.

To get involved call Darren Pyne on 020 8643 5400 or 07971 207267.

The Chloe Pyne Fund will be managed under the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust which exists to find a cure for childhood and adult brain tumours. To make a donation make cheques payable to the SDBTT Chloe Pyne Fund to Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust, Chloe Pyne Fund, Century House, High Street, Hartley Wintney, Hants, RG27 8NY or call 0845 130 9733 for more information.