Bradley Lowery to be guest of honour at Scarborough Armed Forces Day

The brave six-year-old has captured the nation's heart with his infectious smile despite battling terminal cancer neuroblastoma, which doctors diagnosed when he was just 18 months old.

Battling Bradley beat the disease once but, after some time in remission, it came back in July 2016 and last December his family were told it is terminal. His family have been informed by doctors that the cancer is ‘spreading at a fast rate’ and may sadly only have weeks left to live.

The family were due to take a trip to Disney World however, due to his decline in health, they were forced to cancel. This led to the family booking a trip to Scarborough for a week away with Bradley enjoying himself so far.

Mum Gemma told The Scarborough News: “We are having a fantastic time making special memories. We were at the beach on Sunday and Bradley had lots of fun. The people of Scarborough are very friendly.”

Bradley has now been confirmed to be the guest of honour at Scarborough's Armed Forces Day event on Saturday June 24, among a host of events lined up for him and his family to relish before heading home to County Durham.

The devoted Sunderland fan will be present for the official opening of the event at South Bay from noon.

Bradley and his family, including parents Gemma and Carl and brother Kieran, were all smiles for his magic surprise this morning (Friday) at Scarborough's Sea Life when he had a special breakfast with the seals.

Hannah Carr, a spokesman for Sea Life Scarborough, said: "When we found out that Bradley was coming on holiday to Scarborough we knew we had do something special for him.

"We really wanted his entire family to have a memorable and fun time, so we created a special breakfast with our rescued seals and gave him an exclusive tour of the aquarium."

The family have also been taking in other destinations on the coast including Whitby and Flamborough during their week-long stay.

Bradley's mum, Gemma, shared an adorable picture of the youngster holding a lollipop as he enjoys the break. She said: "Bradley is having a brilliant time away and he has been very busy.

"We have had a trip to the beach, a day at the water park, a night at the new Haven site in Flamborough where they were fab with him and a trip to Whitby today. He is awake for about four to five hours a day which is plenty of time to have fun.

"We were told three weeks ago he had weeks to live and he is still going. I am so proud of him he is my little super star."

Bradley's classmates back home have performed a heart rending single called 'Smile for Bradley' in tribute to their pal which is taking the charts by storm after being released at midnight.

Bradley’s family have created the Bradley Lowery Foundation, to support other families going through neuroblastoma treatment. Details of the foundation can be found at: https://bradleylowerysfight.org.uk/