The family of a three-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who are desperately trying to raise £30,000 in a bid to help him learn to walk like his twin brother have had a generous donation from the Bucks Masons.

The Masons have donated £1,000 to help young Jenson Nicholls, from High Wycombe, who was born prematurely at 29 weeks weighing just 2lb 5oz.

But it was not until he was nearly a year old that his family realised he was not sitting properly and he was sent for an MRI scan.

Soon after, they received the devastating news that he had cerebral palsy – a group of lifelong conditions that affect movement and co-ordination, caused by a problem with the brain that occurs before, during or soon after birth.

His condition meant that he was unable to walk, and he suffered from painful tightness in the muscles.

Writing on his fundraising page, his parents said: “No-one could tell us how this would affect him, and we grew accustomed to just waiting to see. However, the weeks and months passed, and Jenson was still not walking. As this turned into years it became clear that Jenson’s cerebral palsy was going to have a fundamental impact on his life.”

After hearing about a pioneering new operation called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), his family approached Great Ormond Street Hospital to see if they would do the complex treatment.

SDR is aimed at relieving tight and stiff muscles and involves operating on the nerves in the spine. The operation is available on the NHS but his family needs £30,000 to help pay for years of intensive physiotherapy afterwards.

Tom Davies, a local Mason who has known Jenson’s mum Vicky all her life, helped to raise the £1,000 from the sale of used Masonic regalia, with the total raised now at over £22,500.

To donate, visit just4children.org/children-helped2018/jensons-giant-leap.