The courage of a young Norwich girl has led to a Sprowston man pledging to have his whole body waxed to help raise money for the specialist wheelchair the youngster needs.

Daniel Barns' daughter Jessica goes to Milestones Nursery in Mile Cross and is friends with Grace Matthews, who has been featured in the Evening News recently after suffering from Meningitis B.

Brian and Vicky Matthews' four-year-old daughter Grace was rushed to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in January this year after developing a temperature, sickness and a rash on her body.

Grace, whose family live on Bacton Road in Mile Cross, had been playing with Jessica earlier that day, but she had become so ill that she ended up in the paediatric intensive care unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital, in Cambridge, where her heart stopped and she had to be resuscitated.

For the next few days Grace suffered an irregular heartbeat, but thankfully her heart recovered.

But unfortunately the meningitis meant that both of Grace's legs had to be amputated below the knee.

She also lost all of her fingers and half of her thumb on her left hand, and was only left with half of the palm of her right hand.

Grace spent nine weeks in Addenbrooke's before being transferred back to the N&N and was finally able to return to the family home in March.

It was at Milestones Nursery that Daniel saw the emotion on Mr Matthews' face when he received a Father's Day gift from Grace in June, and that compelled him to do something to help.

Daniel, 29, is now hoping to raise �4,000 with a fun day at his father-in-law's home on Lone Barn Road in Sprowston, where he faces the prospect of having his entire body waxed.

He said: 'This started off as a bit of a laugh but it's starting to stick in the back of my head now and I'm dreading it.

'But hey ho, it's for a good cause.'

The Matthews family have set up a trust fund for Grace and need �10,000 to buy a electric wheelchair and further into the future they want to raise as much as they can so when Grace is fully grown she can buy the best prosthetic legs possible.

- Anybody who would like to help with fundraising for Grace can contact the Matthews on 01603 479557 or email vicky@victoriablinds.co.uk or call Daniel Barns on 07909 335745 or email oldbarnsy@hotmail.com.

- Are you raising money for charity? Call Local Life editor David Freezer on 01603 772418 or email david.freezer@archant.co.uk