A seriously-disabled eight-year-old girl is only weeks away from a life-changing operation, thanks to the generosity and support of the people of North Yorkshire.

Willow Emmison-Neal, from Skipwith, near Selby, was born six weeks early, and has a form of cerebral palsy called spastic diplegia, which affects her from the waist down.

To walk unaided, she must undergo a procedure called selective dorsal rhizotomy – a procedure performed to reduce leg muscle stiffness which involves cutting of some of the sensory nerve fibres that come from the muscles and enter the spinal cord.

But the surgery was unavailable to Willow in the UK, so her family set up a charity called Willow’s Wish to raise the £60,000 needed to send her for the treatment in the USA.

Sally Neal, Willow’s mum, said: “Willow is booked in for the operation on March 1. The fund is at £50,000, so we’ve still got another £10,000 to go.

“We’re very nervous and excited now in equal measures, and setting up more fundraising events.”

In November, friends and family of Willow pushed a Kia Picanto for eight miles, between Skipwith and the York Designer Outlet to help raise money for the operation.

The event raised about £8,000, and the car was the main prize in a raffle drawn earlier this month.

On Saturday, Willow presented the winners, Adrian and Hazel Russell, of Selby, with the keys to the Picanto, which was donated by SG Petch’s Kia garage at Monks Cross and the Ash Duggan Committee. She was joined by her parents, Sally and Matt, and four-year-old sister, Olive.

Mr Russell said: “We didn’t buy the ticket to win the car, but because it was putting money in to send Willow for her operation.

“Our son, Peter, has been in Willow’s class at Brayton Infants School, so it was a nice way to support people we knew. We bought the ticket back in November, and found it stuck inside a cupboard a week after the draw.”

Sally said the charity had plans to help make up the rest of the funds between now and March, including a romantic event next month at Selby Town Hall.

She said: “We’re holding a Valentine’s dance on February 14, called ‘I Love Willow’s Wish’.

“There’ll be a sparkling reception, dance, with supper and a live covers band, Tom Rocks And The Replicants, who we previously used for a black-tie fundraiser.”

Tickets for the Valentine’s Day event cost £15, and are available by phoning Sally on 07884 260081, emailing neal.sally@googlemail.com or from the Selby Specsavers store.

For more information, or to donate to Willow’s fund, go to www.willowswish.org.uk