A young boy with a rare muscle-wasting disorder had his hopes of a once-in-a-lifetime adventure cruelly dashed after a charity withdrew its support.

Wheelchair-bound Matthew Berry, nine, of Mill Road Avenue, Angmering, Littlehampton, was looking forward to the trip to Australia where he could see real koala bears and kangaroos.

But his mother Sue Berry found out just a few days before Christmas that charity Children's Wish Foundation would not be honouring its pledge of £3,000 to support the trip.

Mrs Berry, whose other son, Andrew, 12, suffers from autism, had originally contacted children's charity Dreams Come True before approaching Children's Wish Foundation.

Both pledged £3,000 towards the £11,000 trip. Another charity, Happy Days, offered a further £1,000 and Mrs Berry and her friends had been busy saving money to bring the total amount raised to £10,000, so that she and Andrew could accompany Matthew.

When Children's Wish Foundation ceased to operate in the UK, it left the family with a massive £4,000 shortfall for the trip.

Dreams Come True is now appealing for extra help so Mrs Berry and her two sons can achieve their trip of a lifetime.

Mrs Berry said: "As a single parent of two boys, I find it difficult to do everything that I want to for Matthew in his short life but I try to make sure that his life is as full of as many exciting experiences and opportunities as possible.

"Unfortunately, limited finances mean that I cannot make all his dreams come true."

Matthew's condition is known as Duchenne muscular dystrophy - a genetic disorder causing progressive muscle weakness as the muscle cells break down and die.

Matthew said: "I felt quite sad when I found out this money had been taken away. I was very cross. I've been looking forward to Australia loads. I've wanted to go for ages."

About 100 boys are born with the condition in the UK each year but girls can be affected in extremely rare cases.

By the age of 11, boys with Duchenne become wheelchair bound. By their late teens or early 20s, the condition is severe enough to shorten life expectancy.

Matthew, who has trouble feeding himself, began using an electric wheelchair 11 months ago.

Three years ago, Matthew, a pupil at St Margaret's Primary School, Angmering, told his mother he would love to visit Australia after becoming hooked on wildlife programmes.

Mrs Berry said: "The £3,000 that we thought we had in the bank is not worth the paper it was written on.

"It was a real blow coming just before Christmas, and I waited for a little while before telling Matthew as I didn't know how to break the news.

"You could see the disappointment on his face.

"I didn't tell him that we couldn't go but that I would do everything in my power to make this dream come true.

"I won't let the Children's Wish Foundation spoil his dream. He is too important to me."

Dreams Come True is currently making approaches to other charities on Mrs Berry's behalf. Chief Executive D'Arcy Myers said: "For severely and terminally ill children, there is often very little in life which is positive to look forward to.

"In Matthew's case, to be offered something which has then been taken away, is tragic."

Anyone who wants to help should call Dreams Come True on 01730 815000.

Children's Wish Foundation head office in Atlanta, USA, was not available for comment.