A COURAGEOUS youngster has walked his very first mile to help fundraise for a specialist wheelchair.

Six-year-old Rhys Taylor, from Astley Bridge, was joined by parents Sheri and Heath, family and friends on Saturday to walk a the mile fundraiser in Abbey Village.

The youngster was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome when he was just one year old and his parents were told he may never walk again.

However, five years on Rhys has steadily learned to walk with an aid and was determined to play a major part in the weekend fundraiser to help buy him a new wheelchair.

Sheri said: "Rhys did absolutely amazingly. He finished his mile and we are so, so proud of him.

"The weather was relentless but we soldiered on and he finished really happy and with a great big smile on his face.

"It was hard work for him, it was a big challenge, but he did it!"

As well as family and friends, members from Rhys's school, Green Fold in Farnworth, and his carers were by his side in the wind and rain.

Angelman Syndrome is a condition which affects mostly children and young adults and is extremely rare, with only a few hundred cases recorded in the past four decades.

The walk is the first time Rhys has reached one mile and his efforts will have paid off as the family expect to have "smashed " the fundraising target of £3,355 to purchase a specialist wheelchair.

His current chair restricts the family from going on outdoor terrain or the seaside, which is difficult for Rhys who loves being outdoors.

The Bryan Kennedy Trust has donated £2,500 towards the chair which will allow the family to take Rhys to the beach and allow him and his parents to take on more varied family holidays, and can even be adapted for activities like snowboarding.