A HUGE fundraising campaign to help a disabled York teenager walk unaided for the first time is expected to reach its £25,000 target within days.

The mother of 14-year-old Tom Arnett says she is overwhelmed at how quickly the cash has been raised and has thanked her fellow Strensall residents for their efforts.

Tom, who was born with cerebral palsy, will now travel to Bristol for a procedure known as selective dorsal rhizotomy, on June 12, after a campaign to raise the money needed for the operation was launched in October last year.

His mother, Adele Sullivan, 35, said: “To be honest the support has been amazing. I can’t believe it’s happened so quickly. The people of Strensall have been absolutely fantastic – without them we would have struggled.

“We are just waiting for the admission details from the hospital and then we will just go.”

Tom’s illness means he is unable to walk due to nerve damage which badly affects his ability to control leg movement.

Explaining the operation, his mother said: “They take out a tiny piece of bone from the spine, then work out which is the nerve that isn’t working in the spinal cord and they cut it. It stops his brain getting the messages which tell his legs to tighten up.”

She said the Make A Stand For Thomas appeal had now reached the £24,000 mark and she was confident the target would be reached by the end of March.

Meanwhile the fundraising efforts continue and any extra money will go towards the thousands of pounds needed for essential aftercare following the operation.

Tom’s father Andrew, a serving soldier in Afghanistan, is to embark on an 8,000 mile challenge in the gym with fellow members of the Yorkshire Regiment. They will be using rowing machines and exercise bikes to clock up the miles and raise money for the campaign.

Other events closer to home will see 13-year-old Strensall School pupil Charlie Walton set of from Scarborough on Sunday on a 54-mile bike trip to York, via Filey and Sledmere.

Charlie, a schoolfriend of Tom, has so far been pledged £400 for his challenge. He will be joined on the ride by his dad Eric, owner of Acomb Travel.