SHOP workers have rallied round to make a sick girl's dream of meeting Mickey Mouse come true.

Staff at Focus DIY stores throughout the North-East have pulled out all the stops to raise money to send three-year-old Katie-Leigh Tones, of Ennerdale Drive, Crook, County Durham, to Disneyland, Paris, as soon as possible.

The youngster has fought a hard battle with cancer after being diagnosed with neuroblastoma, in January last year.

In November, it was thought the plucky toddler had beaten the disease, but recently her parents Michelle, 24, and Lee, 27, were given the devastating news that it had returned.

Yesterday, Mrs Tones' colleagues at the Focus store in Bishop Auckland were at the forefront of a fundraising extravaganza to try to raise money to send Katie-Leigh, her parents and five-year-old brother Jordan-Lee, to Disneyland Paris.

Dave Gray, manager at the Darlington No Frills store and Focus Bishop Auckland, where Mrs Tones works on the check-out, said staff were devastated when they heard Katie-Leigh was ill again.

He said: "We all wanted to do something to help. We were delighted when we heard she was given the all-clear, but now it is back we want to raise as much money as possible.''

Fundraising events were held throughout the company's 13 stores in the North-East yesterday, raising about £5,000.

Mrs Tones said she was stunned when she heard her colleagues had raised so much. She said: "They rang me and said they wanted to raise the money so Katie can enjoy herself and do what she wants in the time she has left.''

Both she and her husband have been forced to give up their jobs to look after their daughter full-time.

The close-knit Crook community threw itself into fundraising last year to send the family to Disneyland, in the US, but Katie-Leigh was unable to go because she was poorly.

She said: "She wants to see Barney and go to Disneyland and we are hoping to take her to Paris in June. She loves shopping and we want to be able to take her out and let her have whatever she wants.''

* Anyone wishing to help the fund can contact the duty manager at Focus Bishop Auckland, on (01388) 608918.