JOHN Mark Riding, the brave little boy who touched the hearts of thousands of East Lancashire folk, has died.

The 1998 Lancashire Evening Telegraph Baby of the Year died at 8.20pm yesterday at his home in Cornwall after falling into a coma. His family were by his bedside.

The five-year-old, formerly of Beech Grove, Darwen, had been battling against a brain tumour since last October.

When it was first diagnosed he was given just months to live but he amazed the doctors by defying the odds.

Evening Telegraph readers helped raise cash to send him to see a specialist surgeon in Australia, and in May he underwent a gruelling nine-hour operation.

His family had hoped to send him back there last month, but it was revealed the tumour had grown and the risk was deemed too great.

He was given just weeks to live and mum Jacqueline Sanderson and dad John, of Audley, Blackburn, took the heart-wrenching decision to allow him to die naturally.

Sister Kerry Riding, also of Blackburn, said: "We are really upset about this. He was our brave little angel and we will miss him so much."

Danny Vose, a close family friend of John Mark's parents and the appeal co-ordinator, said everyone was devastated.

He said: "I can't begin to express the sadness and hopelessness that I feel today - even less the pain and anguish John and Jacqueline must be enduring at this time.

"Despite all the odds being stacked against John's survival with having this condition, I had always hoped I would locate a cure or treatment to save his life.

"I was in fact still searching the field of genetics around the world on Tuesday night, until 7am yesterday.

"While I was realistic that finding a breakthrough at the 11th hour would have been nothing short of a miracle, if any child deserved such a miracle, it was John Mark.

"Despite all he had to endure over the last 12 months with hospitalisation and uncomfortable treatments, he retained a sense of humour and boyish devilment.

"It was only very recently that he had become incapacitated to some degree."

Kevin Young, Editor of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, said: "John Mark has touched the hearts of thousands of our readers and the community has joined together to do all it can to help him.

"This is a very sad day for us all and our thoughts are with John Mark's family at this time."

Darwen MP Janet Anderson helped the family try for NHS cash to fund treatment by classing John as a "special case".

She said: "I am terribly sad to hear about John's death and my thoughts are with the family at this tragic time.

"As ever the good-hearted people of East Lancashire recognised the agony of this family and helped in the ways they knew how."

Danny paid tribute to their battle and all those who helped John Mark -- especially the surgeons who tried to keep him alive.

He said: "The generosity and efforts have been overwhelming. It has not been in vain.

"One day there will indeed be a cure or treatment for these tumours, and like many other conditions that were incurable in the past, they will be defeated.

"Were it not for all those that have fought to defeat those conditions, be it public or medics, they would still be incurable today.

"There will always be those such as Dr Charles Teo in Australia, Dr Whoppel in Germany, and many others, who will at the very least attempt to fight conditions.

"They were willing to fight because John Mark and his parents were fighting."