TAKING his first steps has always been an impossible dream for little Lewis Gregory, but thanks to generous Daily Echo readers it is a dream which one day just might come true.

At four years of age Lewis faces a life-long battle against Cerebral Palsy.

He is blind, cannot walk or talk and is unable to eat properly.

During the day the cheerful youngster is provided with a supportive standing frame by Langside School.

But as the school bell sounds Lewis and his mother Leanne Barrett are forced to struggle at their home in Haskells Road, Parkstone, without the much-needed device.

Knowing the importance of the frame, which helps Lewis to stand up and could be vital in helping his hip bones to connect properly, his great-great grandparents Maurice and Lucy Best launched a fund-raising appeal.

Determined that his great-great grandson should have every chance in life Maurice, 84, embarked on a fight to raise £1,500 to provide Lewis with his own frame.

The Lewis Gregory Appeal was launched in The Daily Echo in February and just three months later had reached more than £2,000.

The appeal was kicked off in style when a Manchester United football, signed by members of the squad, was auctioned off and won by the Royal Sun and Alliance at Richmond Hill in Bournemouth.

The company made a generous donation of £250 to the appeal and then raffled off the ball to raise even more money for Lewis.

There were donations from the Normandy Veterans' Association, the Upton and Lytchett Working Men's Club and the Poole Ex Servicemen's Club in North Road.

A major fund-raiser was a gala concert by the Bournemouth Fellowship Band of the Salvation Army.

And generous residents touched by the youngster's plight also sent in individual donations.