The family of a four-year-old girl, fighting a rare condition which has left unable to walk, talk or eat, have climbed Ben Lomond in her honour.

Shannon and Steven Wales climbed the Monro with 43 pals to raise money to help reach their £5k target which will go towards installing a downstairs bathroom with a special adaptable bath for daughter Ailey.

Irvine Times:

Ailey was diagnosed with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome when she was just 10-months-old leaving Shannon, 25, and Steven, 28, from Dreghorn, devastated to learn the rare genetic condition – which affects only 1,500 people worldwide – would mean their baby girl would never take her first steps, or say her first words.

Shannon said: “To hear that your child will never walk or talk was just devastating. “Those days were terrible. Such a worrying time because we didn’t know what was wrong with her or if she was going to survive.

“It was July 2015 when she was diagnosed with WHS. It was devastating, it really was, but we just had to try and adapt.

“Even now we are just learning that Ailey is doing things her way and at her rate and we are just following her lead.”

Now the family, who are also parents to eightmonth-old Aaron, are on a fundraising mission to make life as comfortable as possible for their wee girl.

Shannon said: “At the moment we have to carry her up and down the stairs so having something on the ground level would be amazing.

“The bath is specially for someone with Ailey’s needs and can be raised and lowered to the preferred height for the person bathing Ailey.

“It is also equipped with built in LED lights, a speaker for music, jets for bubbles and the option for the use of a hoist in the future. It is everything Ailey loves and would make her one happy little girl.”

The family is also hosting an ABBA themed day Towerlands Sports Club on the 15th of June from 2-7pm.

For tickets call Ailey’s gran Audrey Roberts on 07891234686.

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/shannon-wales1