Celebrity support for boy injured after fleeing bullies
Raheem Bailey from south Wales is believed to have lost his finger after being attacked at his school, according to his Mum
Boxer Anthony Joshua and footballer Jadon Sancho are among those to have sent their support to a boy from south Wales who's said to have lost his finger, while trying to escape bullies.
Raheem Bailey's mum says it happened after the 11-year-old was targeted by school children almost a week ago.
A fundraising campaign to help pay for a prosthetic has now passed 90 thousand pounds.
Gwent Police says it's working with the school - Abertillery Learning Community - and the local authority as investigations continue.
The Welsh Government said: "We condemn bullying and racial harassment in any form and expect allegations and incidents of bullying and racism to be fully investigated by schools, with appropriate action taken to address the matter and prevent further instances from happening."
Anthony Joshua, Jadon Sancho and footballer Ashley Williams have sent private messages of support through Ms Bailey's Instagram.
Ms Bailey said Raheem also received messages from football manager Chris Hughton, pundit Gary Neville and Olympic BMX biker Kye Whyte.
US basketball player Gerald Green, who forged a hugely successful career with nine fingers, has even set up a call to speak to Raheem directly, she added
Speaking to the PA news agency on Sunday, she said: "Here's so many people just in different places that have been so generous, and I did not expect what has happened so I am truly, truly grateful for it."
Describing what happened to Raheem, she said: "While he was climbing over, he had a ring on, and his ring attached to the fence and it ripped but also broke his finger.
"Basically, he was running away because he was so tired of being picked on every day."
Ms Bailey said her son was "truly brave" and had been "in utter agony".
"The whole time he was telling me 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry mummy. I just couldn't, I couldn't stay there, like why does no-one like me?'
"These are things that my child, while being in pain, is constantly having to ask me, 'mummy, why does no-one like me? Like why? Why did they pick on me?'"
On how he is doing now, she said: "Occasionally, he's feeling very down and I have to talk to him and make him understand that no matter what, I will be there."
But she added that the support has "really put smiles on his face" and is "making him pick his head up".
She said of the fundraising: "He has got ideas of how much it's growing and he is really, really happy."
She also said the messages he has received mean so much, as people tell him "how strong he is and that this does not define him".
"It's been amazing because it's like another kind of boost, of 'there you go, you see there is mean people but there's also a lot of nice people'," she added.
"I am truly, truly, truly grateful and if it can do anything by, you know, raising awareness for racism, bullies, whatever.
"There's so many people that get targeted for differences that they don't have control over, whether or not it's a disability, whatever it is, it can be tackled, and so things like this does shed light on it."