A YOUNGSTER fighting cancer became a celebrity for the day when he cut the ribbon at the reopening of a charity shop.

Tom Claxton, 12, of Richmond, reopened a Cancer Research UK shop in Northallerton High Street on Thursday.

The name change is due to a merger between the Cancer Research Campaign and Imperial Cancer Research.

The event took place a year to the day since Tom was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He had just come out of hospital in Newcastle where he had been undergoing chemotherapy.

Tom was nominated to open the shop by his grandmother, Ivy Bailey of Northallerton, who developed breast cancer 14 years ago.

Shop manager Rachel Smith said: "The reason I wanted Tom to do it was because it is more relevant to him than it is to a celebrity off Coronation Street. Tom is the type of person that we are trying to help and the reason why we're all here."