A PLEA for volunteers has gone out to help a terminally ill Great Totham dad undergoing his second brain surgery on a tumour, live out his final days at home with his family.

Builder Peter Cross, 51, was diagnosed with a brain tumour last November.

After undergoing surgery and chemotherapy he found out it was terminal.

Doctors at Queen’s Hospital in Romford gave him between 12 and 14 months to live in December.

A fundraising page was set up for Peter to allow a small extension to be built onto his house in Stapler’s Heath, Great Totham, which would allow him to live at home with wife Nicola, 41, and children Amie, 14 and James, 11.

The extension would house a living area, sleeping area and wetroom area for Peter, for when he is no longer able to go up and down the stairs.

Doctors recently discovered another tumour on Peter’s brain, meaning the extension is needed urgently to allow him to remain at home with his family.

Volunteers from the community came together last weekend to begin work on the extension, and now a plea for more volunteers has gone out from Peter’s family to try and help them to finish the extension this weekend, while Peter undergoes surgery on Friday.

Wife, Nicola said: “We have had some amazing people turn up to help us with our extension this weekend and I can’t thank them enough, but there is still a huge amount of work to do.

“We are in need of volunteers for Saturday and Sunday, from builders to chippies to labourers to electricians to plasterers to plumbers and anyone else willing to help out to try and get a big portion of the extension done.

“I need to push to get as much of the extension completed as possible in the next week so that the house is safe for when Peter gets home from his surgery.

“We would be grateful of any help that we can get.

“We are quite proud people. We are not ones to normally ask for help, in fact we are usually the ones helping others.

“I am just not sure what other options we have.

“We have got two young children here and want to stay together as a family for as along as we possibly can, that has always been really important to us.”

A charity football match was also held over the summer to raise money for the extension and Cancer Research UK, raising more than £1,500 for the charity.

If you are able to help out Nicola and the other volunteers on either Saturday or Sunday, email nickic975@gmail.com.

To donate to the fundraising page visit justgiving.com/fundraising/peter-cross.