THE parents of Old Trafford boy Haris Nadeem have achieved what they thought was an ‘impossible’ fundraising dream.

In just five months, thanks to the generosity of supporters and backing from Messenger, £24,000 has been raised to fund the surgery they believe will radically improve his walking ability.

The eight year old from Ayres Road has cerebral palsy and the operation, known as a selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) will be carried out at Leeds.

But his delighted mum Sahira said the fundraising campaign isn’t over - a further £15,000 is needed to fund the vital physiotherapy afterwards.

Sahira said: “Thank you to all the supporters and the amount of support we received was amazing. We’re just so grateful to Messenger and all our supporters. It’s just unbelievable and it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions. We just can’t believe the response of all those people who don’t even know Haris. The thought that he’ll be able to have the operation is just really great.”

Sahira said she has seen the benefits of SDR for herself when Urmston boy Aidan Worth and his mum Joanna attended the Cake and Crafts Fair in aid of the Help Haris Walk Campaign.

Aidan had SDR surgery in August and Sahira said: “I saw Aidan walking and it was brilliant - SDR has massively improved his walking.”

The Fair, held at Kings Road Primary School in Stretford - where Haris is a pupil - raised £2,260 in just three hours.

The selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) operation isn’t routinely funded by health chiefs.

* Anyone interested in supporting the fundraising campaign should visit justgiving.com/tree-of-hope-helphariswalk