A Burnley gym owner has taken to verse to help raise cash for cutting edge treatment for her friend who is battling an inoperable brain tumour.

Michelle Williamson has written a touching poem to raise awareness of the campaign for Claire Nutter, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2023.

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Michelle, who owns Shell’s Fitness in Harle Syke, has known Claire for over 20 years. They met when Claire ran her salon, Beauty Zone in Pike Hill in Burnley and Michelle became a client and friend. Michelle said: “Claire is one of the loveliest, most upbeat people I know. I became her personal trainer and we used to have some really good giggles together.”

Burnley gym owner Michelle Williamson has taken to verse to put the spotlight on a campaign to raise £350,000 for cutting edge treatment for her friend, Claire Nutter, who has a brain tumour

Since her diagnosis, Claire, who more recently worked from her salon based at Business First in Burnley, has undergone three life-saving operations, but only half of the tumour could be removed. She has endured chemotherapy, which unfortunately proved ineffective.

With radiotherapy ruled out due to the severe side effects, Claire’s NHS options came to an end, so the family began looking at alternative treatments, including specialist surgery and therapy in Germany, that comes at a cost of £350,000.

Family and friends have rallied round with a series of fundraisers that has brought in over £40,000 and last month Claire and her partner, Gary Dunn, made the momentous decision to raffle their £800,000 home in Roughlee to help raise the cash needed.

The raffle is being run on worldwide platform Raffall and a minimum of 250,000 tickets need to be sold for the main prize to be given. If less than 250,000 tickets are sold, the winner will receive a cash payment amounting to 50% of the total ticket revenue generated. So far 7,641 tickets have been sold, equating to £38,205.

Claire Nutter, with her parner Gary Dunn with the keys to their house which they are raffling off to raise money for Claire's brain tumour treatment. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard

Claire, who is mum to Louie (21) and 17-year-old Ray, began her career as a teenager working at Clitheroe-based salon World of Nails.

A GoFundMe page set up by Louie, has raised £24,000 and brave Claire has thanked all her supporters and expressed her determination to beat her tumour. She said: “Michelle is so lovely for writing that poem for me. She is so kind and always thinking of different fund raisers and generally just being amazing.”