Little Oliver Poinsignon is continuing to make good progress in hospital following life-changing surgery.

The five-year-old had a successful operation to help him cope with the effects of his cerebral palsy last Friday.

His condition makes it hard for him to walk, jump or run because of extremely tight and painful muscles in his legs.

The Argus has been supporting Oliver's friends and family as they aim to raise £52,000 to cover the cost of the operation and the expensive equipment and follow-up care Oliver will need.

With almost £49,000 raised, there is now just over £3,000 to go and fundraisers are making the final push to hit the final total.

Oliver lives with his mother Julie Langmaid in Ashurst, near Steyning, and his dad Jean-Marc lives in Brighton.

The operation, called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), is relatively new and not available on the NHS.

It could therefore only be given the go-ahead once funding had been secured.

The Argus is backing the fundraising, with the paper’s charity, The Argus Appeal, donating £5,000.

Mr Poinsignon said Oliver was allowed to sit up for the first time and was regaining his sense of humour.

However the youngster will be spending the rest of the month at Great Ormond Street Hospital and will need further specialist physiotherapy for months and possibly years to come.

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