A five-year-old boy who can now walk after the odds were stacked against him has completed a challenge in aid of a cause close to his heart.

Jude Callaghan, from Prestwich, was born with spina bifida, hydrocephalus and a clubbed left foot and his family were told he would not be able to walk.

But in February this year, he had surgery to straighten his foot and has gone on to prove doctors wrong.

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Since then, he used a walker for a short time to strengthen his leg and his walking has improved so much more, and he is now able to walk for longer distances.

His mum Katja Lenihan said: “He wanted to do a litter pick because he mentioned that he saw some litter on the floor a few weeks ago so.

“We decided we would do it but because he’s quite close to the charity Shine which is a charity for children and adults with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, we wanted to do it to raise money as well.”

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Jude completed his walk on Sunday, June 2, starting from the Welcome Inn pub on  Bury Old Road in Whitefield, before going on Thatch Leach Lane and through Thatch Park and finishing at the Frigate pub.

He has currently raised £527 on his JustGiving crowdfunding page for Shine, and he was joined by around 20 people on his walk, including some of his friends.

Speaking about how much the charity means to them, Katja said: “Shine have been amazing with us. 

"When we were in lockdown, they gave us a lot of support on what we could be doing with Jude to keep him mobile.

“I’ve done a lot of fundraising for them for the last couple of years through walks but this year I wanted Jude to do something.

"But I didn’t even need to push him into it because he came up with this idea himself.

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“Shine are such a good charity, and they do a lot not just for us but for other families.

“They do a lot of community days where parents and children can meet.

“It’s a nice community that you can join and meet other people with similar experiences.”

Jude’s JustGiving page is still online for people to support.