A SCHOOLBOY who overcame cancer raised money for two of the charities that helped him by busking in Oxford with his sister.

Nine-year-old Ace Manthey, from Abingdon, sang and played guitar with Sky, 12, in Cornmarket Street and Bonn Square.

They played covers of singles by Coldplay, Foo Fighters and Bon Jovi, raising more than £190 for the Starlight Children’s Foundation and £315 for the Over the Wall charity.

The foundation helped Ace travel to Japan to meet his grandparents for the first time and he took part in a summer camp with Over the Wall when he was suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

St Nicholas Primary School pupil Ace, who has three sisters, said: “It was fun and it was good to earn a lot of money for the charities that helped me so another person can benefit. It was quite tiring playing for a long time but it was enjoyable.”

Ace was diagnosed with the disease when he was three and underwent chemotherapy treatment for three-and-a-half years, losing his hair.

He decided to learn how to play guitar as an alternative to playing video games and watching films while he recovered, and was given the all-clear in May 2011.

His dad Ian, 41, a sales manager, married to Tomomi, 37, said: “They enjoy standing behind guitars playing anyway, but to do it for a good cause made it even better.”

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