AN APPEAL to secure a Barry schoolgirl's long term walking future took a step forward recently when the youngster met a Disney favourite.

The HelpNiamhAchieve appeal welcomed a £380 boost after Frozen’s Elsa Magical Mascot donated their appearance fee from attending the Wellfield Road Christmas light switch-on in Cardiff.

The children’s animation movie favourites were also joined by a team from Headlands school, in Penarth, who wielded collection buckets on the day.

The festive fundraisers are one of the many aiming to finance surgery for eight-year-old Niamh Hurn.

The Palmerston primary pupil, who celebrates her ninth birthday in December, needs to undergo a procedure known as a SDR or selective dorsal rhizotomy at the Bristol Children’s Hospital before the age of 10.

Niamh uses a wheelchair and Kaye walker to move around due to a condition called hydrosyringomyelia - a blockage within the fluid canal in the spine resulting in a crushing of nerves – and her family, mum Michelle, dad Chris and sister Jazmin, need to raise £30,000 as funding is unavailable on the NHS.

Mum Michelle said she would like to thank everyone, so far, who has donated to her daughter’s cause – including the Barry & District News reader who donated £20, Michael Bennett who held a raffle at his annual Christmas music night, raising £105 and Aysha Danks and Beth, of Bryn Hafren Comprehensive, who organised the Shake Shack and raised £45.

Michelle added: “Thanks to all the generous people that have donated to Niamh's Justgiving page, Jazmin's school friend Harry kindly donated his money that the tooth fairy had left for him.

The online total currently stands at £2,424.83.

Visit, www.justgiving.com/HelpNiamhAchieve