FUNDRAISERS in Chipping Sodbury will be stepping out later this month to help a little girl walk again.

Yate-based fundraiser Sarah Hitchings is organising a sponsored walk in aid of Evie’s Wish to Walk.

Three-year-old Evie Tucker, from Avonmouth, was born prematurely, suffering damage to both sides of her brain. She needs an operation called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, which will release the muscles in her legs, and make it easier for her to walk. This life-improving surgery is not available on the NHS and can only be done at Frenchay Hospital, so Evie and her family need to raise £25,000.

"My dad Gerry Milner and I have been fundraising for three years for local charities," said Mrs Hitchings. "He saw a story about Evie on the front page of a newspaper and said ‘Right, that’s our next challenge.

"We decided to organise a sponsored walk because it is easy to do and everyone can do it. We took the Tucker family out for a meal to explain our plans, and they were very pleased and excited."

The walk, on Sunday, April 22, will start from the Wickwar Road car park in Chipping Sodbury and will finish at Henry’s Oriental on Broad Street. There will be two walks available for different abilities and ages. The three-mile walk is suitable for families and will start at 11am. Alternatively, a more adventurous 10-mile walk starts at 9am.

After both walks, the participants will be refuelled at Henry’s Oriental with an all-you-can-eat buffet. For tired and aching feet, All About Mi will be on hand to soothe and relax with some reflexology. For the children, face painting and glitter tattoos will be available.

Entry to the walk costs £10 for adults, £5 for children up to the age of 12, and children under three can enter for free (one per paying adult).

For more details, sponsorship forms, health forms and maps, contact Sarah Hitchings at s.hitchings@hotmail.co.uk If you wish to make a donation, go to Evie’s Just Giving page, at www.justgiving.com/Evieswishtowalk