A BRAVE young girl with cerebral palsy took her first independent steps after spending a year in therapy thanks to a huge fundraising campaign.

Esme Kelly, four, was born five weeks early and was diagnosed as a one-year-old with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy, a condition affecting her balance, movement and leg coordination.

Two years ago her parents Charlotte and Stephen launched an appeal to raise £50,000 for an operation that was going to change her life.

But shortly after they reached the target the operation was made available on the NHS so the money was used to pay for physiotherapy.

Charlotte said: “I’m incredibly proud, she’s done so well, she worked so hard. What she does is astonishing really, especially for a four-year-old. It’s very emotional and I’m really happy.”

The determined little girl, who wants to have a go at ballet, had her operation at Bristol Children’s Hospital .

She added: “All the money that we’ve raised, we’ve been able to pay for her post-operation physiotherapy, as you only get a certain amount from the NHS and we’ve been able to top it up with private therapists.

“A year ago, she was very weak after the operation but as the year has progressed and with all the therapy she has been doing, she’s now walking on a single point stick which is a great step forwards.”

“She just started to take her first steps without any aid or support.”

And she was impressed by the youngster’s determination. “I’m really surprised, and quite pleasantly shocked by how she stands,” she said.

Esme has private physiotherapists, as well as intense physiotherapy in Wales. She goes to hydrotherapy at Thamesdown Hydro Pool.

It was all funded by the community who supported the family from Redhouse. “We’re just really grateful for every single penny that was raised from people we know and people we don’t know. We wouldn’t be here without them,” Charlotte said.

Esme will go to school for the first time in September at Bridlewood Primary School in Blunsdon.

Charlotte said: “It will have a massive impact on her, physically, she will feel quite tired. But on the other side, being at school five days a week with all her peers will possibly encourage her to do more.

“This time next year she may well be going to school without needing her aid as much, that’d be the goal. She will always need something because distance is going to be hard for her because she will just get tired.”

Esme has expressed a desire to learn ballet. “We’re just trying to get her somewhere to go. She needs to be a little bit stronger. But yes it is something we’ll investigate in the next year,” said Charlotte.

To follow her progress visit facebook.com/stepsforesme