Brave Tony Hopper's campaign to raise cash to help the fight against Motor Neurone Disease is well on the way to smashing its initial £10,000 target.

The Cumbrian former footballer's "fightback fund" for the MND Association has now passed the £8,000 mark.

Some £8,090.82 has been raised already from donations and various charity events.

That has come in just over a month of fundraising since Tony, 40, revealed he had been diagnosed with bulbar-onset motor neurone disease.

The Hopper family's own JustGiving page alone has raised nearly £5,000.

That includes £2,637 raised from a recent sell-out charity night at the University of Cumbria's Calva Bar.

That amount included ticket sales, raffle tickets and charity bucket collections.

Collections at February's Carlisle United v Portsmouth game, where Tony and his family were guests of honour, also raised £2,860.67.

That included a cut of the matchday programme proceeds.

Workington Reds fans have also rallied around the former midfielder, with collections at two games raising £1,108.

It was also recently announced that this summer's Gelt Gladiator event near Brampton has adopted the MND Association as their official charity partner.

Friends of the Hoppers are also doing their bit to raise funds for the charity. Kate Stark is running the Manchester Marathon this Sunday while Emily McCausland is embarking on 11 difference challenges throughout the year.

The News & Star is backing the Hoppers with our Fighting Back for Tony campaign, with readers having also donated to the MND Association in support of Tony.

All money raised by the Fightback Fund will go to the MND Association's north and west Cumbria branch.

To donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Tony-Hopper

A separate campaign is helping Tony and wife Sue create some lasting memories for their three sons, and has so far raised more than £33,000. To donate visit https://www.gofundme.com/creating-hoppy-memories