Gig to help send little Alex to America

Four-year-old Alex Craven was born eight weeks premature with a form of cerebral palsy, which left him unable to crawl, walk or even stand.

Over the last three years, he has been having advanced biomechanical rehabilitation (ABR), which helps tone the muscles and improve the alignment of the skeleton.

But his family now hopes to raise £60,000 to send Alex to America to have selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) surgery.

The spinal operation, which is usually performed on children between the ages of seven and eight in the UK, is not funded by the NHS.

But the surgery could help transform Alex’s life enabling him to live free of pain and independently.

The family’s friend Gareth Edwards has organised the Alex-Fest fundraiser, which will see bands perform at an all day music event.

Alex’s mum, Sarah Craven, said: “Alex is doing really well at the moment but the next step is the SDR surgery. It is quite expensive so any help we can get is great.

“We would be looking to go to St Louis if we get accepted for him to have the surgery.”

Alex-Fest will be held at The Lion pub in Castleford on Sunday, January 31 from 1pm.

The event will include live music from Jordan Hartshorne, No Regret and Supercell. Former Castleford Tigers player Tony Marchant will also be performing at the event.

There will be a raffle and auction throughout the day, which includes a signed Tigers shirt and a signed Leeds Rhinos rugby ball.