A fundraising campaign to help a little boy have surgery that could change his life is closing in on its target.

Family and friends of five-year-old Oliver Poinsignon have just over £7,300 left to raise to hit the £52,000 needed to cover the cost of his surgery and follow-up care.

They are calling on businesses, individuals and supporters across Sussex to help with the final push.

Oliver has cerebral palsy and finds it difficult to walk, jump and run because of extremely tight and painful muscles in his legs.

This will get and this will get worse as he gets older and grows.

The operation, called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), will help him walk more easily.

Oliver, who lies with his mum Julie Langmaid in Ashurst, near Steyning, is due to have surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital on February 7, He and his mother were at the hospital yesterday (tues) for an assessment and checks ahead of the big day.

The campaign for Oliver is backed by The Argus, with the paper's charity, The Argus Appeal, donating £5,000.

Oliver's father Jean Marc Poinsignon, who lives in Brighton, said: “Thank you to everyone who donated to Oliver.

“Let's carry on our great effort - we are nearly there!”

SDR surgery is not routinely available on the NHS and, because it is so expensive and still relatively new, it will normally only be given the go- ahead following an application for funding if all other options have been explored.

Oliver's surgeons say the sooner he has the operation the better but the original application for NHS funding was rejected.

The amount raised currently stands at just over £44,600 and the fundraising will continue until the target is hit.

Any money raised over the target will be donated to the Tree of Hope charity, which is helping with the fundraising campaign.

Anyone interested in making a donation can contact the campaign via Facebook SDR4Oliver or visit www.justgiving.com/SDR4Oliver.