THE mother of a Wirral toddler with a muscle-wasting disease has organised a charity event to help fund research.

Two-year-old William Magee from Oxton was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy three weeks ago.

His parents became concerned when he began walking relatively late.

Hospital tests revealed he had the disease, which is characterised by muscle weakness and mainly affects boys. He faces the prospect of being wheelchair-bound by the age of 10.

In a bid to raise awareness of the disease, mum Kelly has organised a charity event that will take place at the Leasowe Castle Hotel in Leasowe on December 1, starting at 6pm. All proceeds will go to the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

The mother-of-two told the Globe: “I noticed that he was late walking and not very good on his feet. We took him back to the hospital for tests.

“I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that the results would come back as serious as this."

Looking to the future, Kelly, who is mother to seven-year-old Elizabeth, said: "It's very difficult for us to think about what lies ahead for William.

"I see old people who are full of life and all I can think is that William will never have that.

"He also won't be able to go out with his friends, because it's diificult teenagers to be responsible for somebody who, at the end of the day, is severely disabled.

"But I'm really positive about the future and feel that by raising awareness of the disease, we can hopefully raise funds for research that could help find a cure.

"I'm hoping to raise as much money as possible at the Leasowe Castle. The hotel's staff have done all they can to make the event as successful as possible.

“I want to thank them for giving me the use of the function suite for free. There’s space for 250 people and I’m positive we can fill the space.”

If you would like to help by donating prizes for the auction, or want tickets for the event, call Kelly on 07724742488.