THE parents of a young boy diagnosed with muscular dystrophy said they are "blown away" after hearing the community is raising money to send them to Disneyland.

Four-year-old Ryan Bennett was diagnosed with the muscle wasting syndrome last August after his parents and childminder noticed he was falling down more often than other children.

After a routine check up and some blood tests a consultant visited the family and broke the news that Ryan had muscular dystrophy, meaning he will likely be reliant on a wheelchair by the time he is a teenager.

Ryan’s mother, Rebecca Daniel, said: “I can’t put into words how I felt when she told us, I went a bit numb. I think it's affected us more than it’s affected Ryan because he isn’t old enough to understand.

“The condition will weaken Ryan’s muscles over time and will eventually see him reliant on a wheelchair.

“He is quite small for his age and his physical abilities are a little behind those of an average four year old, but generally it won’t start having a serious impact on him until he starts getting a bit older.”

News of Ryan’s diagnosis was passed on to pub landlady Debbie Burns, who with her husband Mark, has spearheaded fundraising activities to send the family on a holiday of a lifetime.

Mrs Burns said: “We’ve so far managed to raise around £1,000 by doing various different things, everyone is joining in and people have been very generous.

“We’ve had people shaving their heads and waxing their legs and have lots planned for the next few weeks. We’re hoping to raise enough to send the whole family to Disneyland, I want Ryan to have an amazing time there and make some lovely memories.”

Miss Daniel, who is a student nurse, added: “We are absolutely blown away, you hear about people doing things like this for children who are poorly but we would never have expected anything like this for Ryan.

“We have always thought we had time for family holidays in the future after I’ve finished studying, and we still do, but it would be better if we could take Ryan while he’s still young and able to run around.

“We are just so grateful to everyone for their kindness and generosity. It really would be the holiday of a lifetime for us.”

Mrs Burns has planned a range of events for this bank holiday weekend at The Aclet, including a drag act, a rodeo bull competition, a car boot sale and a raffle.

For more information contact 01388-327335 or to donate, visit crowdfunding.justgiving.com/ryansfund or drop in to The Aclet in Bishop Auckland.