A CHARITY race night is being held in March to help raise money for a young boy who needs a life-altering operation.

Luca Railton, aged 10, was born with Bilateral Tibial Hemimelia, meaning he has no tibia and no knee in his right leg, while his left leg only has a partial tibia.

Friends, family and locals have rallied round to help raise money so the Prior Park pupil can have a vital operation to fix the problem. They need to raise £135,000 as soon as possible as the operation is due to take place at the end of March in Florida, USA.

So far more than £54,000 has been collected and details of the next big fundraising event have been announced.

On March 1, a special race night is being held to raise money for Luca at the Steam Museum and anyone who wants a night of fun backing horses in races shown on screen, is being invited to come along.

Tickets are £40 each but will guarantee an evening of entertainment with food provided, live music as well as a promise auction.

“It’s the last big event we are holding before the operation so it is one big final push,” said Luca’s mum, Teresa. “It’s going to be a fun evening and we hope as many people come along as possible. There are 450 tickets available and 300 have already been sold so people need to get in quickly.”

For the last ten years his parents have managed to stave off the diagnosis that recommended amputation after he was born. Since then Luca has endured more than 60 hours in surgery as surgeons have worked to lengthen and straighten his legs as he has grown.

Once in America, Luca will need two procedures and then will need to remain overseas for up to eight months, depending on how long his recovery takes.

Teresa said: “We are in the process of making sure everything is already for when we go overseas. Once the race night is done we well be able to work out exactly how much we have.”

The race night,will start at 7pm on March 1. Tickets can be purchased by contacting www.teresarailton@hotmail.co.uk