By STEVE RYLANCE

A BRAVE little boy battling a crippling disability is making giant strides - with a little help from his friends at St Bridget's Primary School.

Adam Wilson, aged seven, of Shaws Avenue, Orford, was born with a club foot at a 90 degree angle which left him struggling to walk.

But still the plucky youngster has managed to get around, limping with a splint on the side of his foot.

Now, following an operation at Alder Hey Childrens' Hospital, he has been fitted with a fixator to straighten his leg. Currently in a wheelchair, he will spend Christmas in plaster, but after three months and extensive physiotherapy, he is expected to be able to walk normally for the first time in his life.

All Adam has ever wanted is to fit in and live as normal a life as possible. And thanks to his classmates and teachers at St Bridget's, he has been able to do just that.

This week, his mum Lesley paid tribute to their efforts.

She said: "Adam's classmates have been brilliant, as has his course teacher and his head teacher, Mrs Laskosky. Even though he's in a wheelchair he's not been singled out. The teachers and pupils have helped him to do his work and treated him just like one of the others. They've carried his packed lunch and his books for him and they included him in the Christmas play.

"The surgeon at Alder Hey told me that a lot of schools just don't accommodate the needs of lads like Adam, but St Bridget's certainly has. He's a lovely, robust lad you just can't keep him still! His leg excludes him from a lot of sport, but in PE he joins in with movement classes on his zimmerframe and he really likes wrestling."

She added: "It's been a hard time for Adam he's been in a lot of pain. He's missed school and he's been doing extra coursework to keep up. I'd just like to thank everyone at the school and the hospital for the help they've given him."