After intensive treatment for a brain tumour, little Oliver McDermott just wants to have fun.

And there was plenty of that on offer when he took to the skies to find Santa in a special flight from Leeds Bradford Airport.

The “amazing” three-year-old from Horsforth was one of Cancer Research UK’s nominated Little Stars to be treated to the flight and a day of fun, along with other deserving children, courtesy of Ryanair and the airport.

For Oliver it was a welcome treat after gruelling intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Diagnosed with medulloblastma – a highly malignant brain tumour – in March last year, he has endured constant sickness and life-threatening infections.

But a scan the day before his flight showed there was no tumour regrowth.

The news was a massive relief for his mum Tracy Caulfield and dad Timothy McDermott, who joined him on the flight along with his sisters Evie, nine, and Ruby, seven.

Oliver was diagnosed just before his second birthday.

Tracy said: “He was being sick and at first I put it down to a virus, and he was really unsteady on his feet, which is a classic sign, but I just put it down to him being a toddler.”

Growing increasingly concerned she took him to the doctor a number of times but kept getting told he was suffering from a virus.

“I was tearing my hair out – I didn’t know which way to turn, because I kept getting turned away from the GPs,” she said.

“It got to the stage where he was vomiting 24 times in 24 hours and couldn’t even keep a spoon of Calpol down.”

She took him to Leeds Infirmary’s accident and emergency department where he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and underwent a nine hour operation.

“You assume immediately that with something like a brain tumour it is a death sentence,” she said.

“It had spread everywhere throughout his whole brain and spinal cord – so he was in a really bad way. I am not sure the doctors thought he would still be with us now.”

Medics treated Oliver with high dose chemotherapy and radiotherapy in a bid to save his life.

“They absolutely threw everything at him,” Tracey said. “The treatment itself is quite life-threatening and he had serious infections as well. He has really fought for his life.”

“He was amazing,” she said. “The chemotherapy made him very sick, but he just wanted to play and be a toddler. He would be sick and then ask me to play.” Oliver, who now needs check-ups every six months, has been left with a number of problems, including palsy down his right side and hearing loss. But his proud parents are just glad he is still with them.