Seven-year-old Amy Ellis-Somerville from Burgess Hill has suffered brain-damaged and needs full-time care.

Now her parents intend to take her to Florida to swim with dolphins as part of her therapy.

It seems extraordinary to think this could help severely handicapped children, but there are plenty of other cases where marked improvements have been noticed.

It could cost £10,000 for the Ellis-Somerville family to fly out to the USA for the treatment and a fifth of this total has already been raised.

If the therapy results in any improvement then it will have been worth every penny for her hard-pressed parents.

The Ellis-Somervilles are doing their best to ensure Amy gets the best possible treatment for her complex problems.

They've made a good start to collect the money. Friends and neighbours are determined to finish the fund-raising so the whole family can enjoy the trip of a lifetime.