The parents of a little boy who is unable to walk are hoping he will be accepted for a life-changing operation in America this summer.

Two-year-old Wes Knight, pictured, who has cerebral palsy, is unlikely to be able to walk without the selective dorsal rhizotomy procedure.

His parents, Tim and Catherine, from Guiseley, are preparing to submit paperwork to the St Louis Children’s Hospital as part of the selection process for surgery.

The operation, which costs more than £36,000 and has transformed the lives of thousands of children, involves neurosurgery to reduce the muscle stiffness that prevents cerebral palsy sufferers from walking.

His parents launched a website – wesleyswish.org – to help raise £95,000 for the operation and three years of intensive physiotherapy.

Tim thanked everyone who had helped them to reach the total so far of just over £40,000.