AN APPEAL to fund an operation to help a little boy to walk has been given a boost of thousands of pounds by Guiseley Lions.

The Wesley’s Wish fund was set up to raise money to help Wesley Knight, who was born prematurely and has cerebral palsy. The lively three-year-old is unlikely to be able to walk unaided without a Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) procedure.

His family need to raise around £95,000 to cover the operation in the United States as well as three years of specialist intensive physiotherapy.

Now the fund has been given a boost with a cheque for £3,165 from Guiseley Lions – a sum which is made up of part of the total raised at the 2014 Guiseley Lions Beer festival and from a collection the Lions held on a match day at the Guiseley AFC ground.

Wesley’s parents Tim and Catherine, who have raised more than £73,000 so far, thanked everyone who had helped their appeal.

They said: “Wesley is making excellent progress and – whilst he won’t receive surgery until next year – has been doing lots of work to build up strength and mobility. For the last year, he’s doing physiotherapy daily and hydrotherapy a couple of times a week. This is a combination of exercises we do with him at home, a private physio and some support from the NHS. He’s also been getting a great deal out of donkey riding - a once a week session that is fantastic for his core strength.

“As a result of all of this activity, he’s now strong enough to sit at a bench unaided. This might seem like a small step, but it allows him to play with a range of toys, both with his sisters and friends at nursery – which he now attends five times a week. Perhaps even more significantly, he’s getting much better at using his walker – both outside, inside and even round the shops. Just this little bit of independence makes all the difference to his mood.

“Continuing to target July 2015 for surgery in the USA. Wes is going to have to work hard, both in advance of and after this date. But, he’s doing so well and He’s had the support of some really tremendous people to get him this far.”

Wes was born at 31 weeks and, shortly after birth, suffered damage to the part of his brain that deals with motor control – making it harder for him to move his hands, feet and legs normally.

Without specialist surgery the youngster is unlikely to be able to walk on his own.

His parents say the pioneering neurosurgical procedure Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy has helped thousands of children who are now walking rather than in wheelchairs.