Boot campers take a shine to fundraising

Mr Levene and Sigal Bar-Ilan from Whitefield ran the sponsored camp, which saw the men pitted against each other in 12 gruelling activities.

Paul Levy, 36, from Prestwich, confided that the hour-long circuit training had been hellish and he had much preferred the camouflage face-painting preparation. "But it's great to do a different type of event to raise money for such a good cause," he said.

Support for Joey and the charity also attracted Steven Bookbinder, a 37-year old medical device designer from Prestwich, who said the camp had been a "great experience and brought out good camaraderie and team building".

Mr Levene said the physical challenges highlighted "the little things we can all do which Joey can't.

"It's a race against time to find a cure. He just celebrated his sixth birthday and every year is tinged with sadness that it's another year less with him. But my wife and I feel blessed with Joey and our other two children and we're getting closer to a cure with human drug trials just starting."

One Can Make A Difference has raised more than £100,000 for research since 2007. Funds will be further boosted next month when women will have their own boot camp experience.