The father of an 11-year-old girl who suffers from a rare brain condition is appealing for help to raise cash to enable his daughter to swim with dolphins.

Natasha Kite is one of a few hundred children around the globe to suffer from Aicardi Syndrome.

The condition, in which part of the brain is missing, has left her suffering from behavioural problems and seizures.

Now Natasha's father, Nick Kite, is hoping she can be helped by swimming with dolphins and he has organised a series of activities to raise the £5,000 needed to take her to Florida.

Mr Kite, 32, a divorced father-of-three from Guiseley, has already raised £2,600 with events including walking the Three Peaks.

And this week his appeal was given another boost thanks to a special needs assistant at Natasha's school.

Sarah Drake works part-time at the former Green Meadows special needs school, now part of the Leeds North West Special Inclusive Learning Centre in Guiseley. But it is in her other role, as a freelance riding instructor, that she has done her bit to help Natasha with a sponsored ride.

More than a dozen people took part in the event at Craven Country Ride, near Skipton, on Wednesday to raise several hundred pounds towards the appeal.

Miss Drake said: "I work in the classroom with Natasha and I really like her. I wanted to do something to help and this just seemed to be a really easy thing to be able to organise."

Mr Kite - whose other children, Kirstyn, eight, and Ben, four, do not have Aicardi Syndrome - is also planning a sponsored climb of Ben Nevis, along with his brother Jonathan, and hopes to take Natasha to Florida within the next year to spend five days swimming with dolphins.

Mr Kite said he was not expecting a cure from the dolphin therapy but hoped the experience could bring about an improvement in Natasha's condition.

"It seems to be something that can unlock emotional barriers for special needs children. It can lead to increased communication skills and it certainly does seem to help with some behaviour difficulties," he said.

"Children who do this seem to be a lot less frustrated afterwards because they have a better sense of communication, and a stronger link with parents who find it difficult to raise special needs children."

Anyone who can help, can contact Mr Kite on (07979) 751503.