THE family of a Gwent girl battling to walk thanked people in Newport for raising thousands of pounds to help her.

Six-year-old Katie Fudge-Simpson has several holes in her heart and cannot walk or talk.

She was one of the first people in the UK to be diagnosed with 1p36 deletion syndrome just after she was born. Little Katie was born without a vital part of one of her chromosomes - robbing her of the most basic of cognitive functions.

Mum Donna Fudge, 28 thanked members of the Slimming World Club in Malpas, which she attends, who helped raise £3, 782 to pay for expensive specialist physiotherapy treatment that could help her to walk for the first time.

It involves strengthening of Katie's leg muscles and her Achilles heels.

The treatment, at the Cerebal Palsy Physiotherapy Clinic in Bedfordshire, would cost £740 for two one-hour sessions a day for a fortnight.

The family will pay an extra £220 to stay for the two weeks in June in a bungalow next door to the clinic.

It is thought Katie will need several sessions over the next few years to give her a chance of walking.

Slimming World instructor Janice Clark organised a fundraising evening of raffles, entertainment and donations at Newport County AFC on Friday night. More than 100 people attended.

Ms Fudge, of Coltfoot Close, said: "We were really thrilled with the amount raised. It means a great deal to us and hopefully the treatment will have a positive effect."