A GROUP of Oswestry friends are to take on a four-day walking challenge on Offa’s Dyke to help fund surgery for a friend’s daughter.

Matt Wilson, 42, is fundraising with his family to pay for Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) in St Louis, Missouri, for his six-year-old daughter Mabel, who was born with cerebral palsy.

Matt, who is based in Greece but is a former Woodside and Marches pupil whose family lives in Friars Avenue, says the operation will give Mabel, who has cerebral palsy and needs a walker to move, the chance to walk again and the hope of living independently when older.

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Now six of his friends, including James Bradbury, are taking on the challenge in February to help raise funds for Mabel, setting a target of £2,500.

“When our friend Matthew, who now lives in Crete with his family, needed to raise funds for cutting edge life-changing surgery for their beautiful six-year-old daughter Mabel to be able to walk, we felt we needed to do something more than just make individual donations," said Mr Bradbury.

“Mabel was born with her twin Arthur 10 weeks early and spent the first months of her life in hospital.

“Her brain damage meant that from an early age she faced challenges and she is yet to walk independently and relies on a walker for short walks and a pram for daily mobility.

“The exciting news for the family was that Mabel has been medically approved for life changing surgery called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR), this will have to take place in USA under the care of Dr Park who invented the procedure.

“Sadly the procedure is costly and our friend Matthew and his wife Maria need to raise $100,000 to pay for the operation that will change their daughter’s life.”

The group will be taking on the challenge, starting in Herefordshire and finishing in their home town, but James admitted they are not experienced walkers.

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He added: “Despite none of us being regular or experienced walkers, and some of us not being particularly fit, we have decided to take on the challenge of walking the length of more than two marathons in just four days up Offa's to finish near Oswestry.

“We are walking to be able to help Mabel's dream to be able to walk herself and we would be so grateful if you could help us make a little girls dream come true.”

To donate, head to https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helpmabelwalk