A LARGS dad is planning to walk the Great Wall of China as part of a massive fundraising campaign to help his son walk unaided.

Barry McMichael is fighting to find the funds so little Callum, five, can continue to attend a specialist centre that provides learning support for his cerebral palsy.

Callum had struggled with the condition since being diagnosed at two-years-old, but according to his father has come on ‘leaps and bounds’ since starting at the facility in Cumbernauld a year ago.

The youngster has to wear splints and often relies on a wheelchair to get around.

But his family hope if the money can be found to keep him at the centre, he can progress to walk without the splints's support.

Whilst the government pay £2,000 towards Callum's placement, the burden falls on Barry and his family to cover an additional £2,000 per annum.

Now Barry is hoping to become comic book fan Callum's own superhero by trekking the iconic wall to raise the rest of the money.

Barry said: “It took a while for him to get diagnosed but we knew something was wrong soon after he was born.

"You could tell by the way his feet were positioned.

“When we found out it was scary as we didn't know a lot about the condition.

“Callum’s main problem is his mobility, so he wears the splints and sometimes has to use his wheelchair.

“Since attending Craighalbert in Cumbernauld he has improved so much. The specialists there have said that he is 80 per cent better than when he first started a year ago.

“That’s based on them assessing his motor skills and things like that.

“Obviously this is a condition that will never go away, but if we can make it easier for him that would be brilliant - and hopefully he can walk without the splints in the future.

“The centre is incredible the way they work with him using different activities to improve him.

“Seeing the changes and improvements, makes me want to ensure he can keep going there for as long as possible.”

The Craighalbert Centre in Cumbernauld, provides educational services for children and young people throughout Scotland affected by cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions, working to improve learning, movement and communication skills.

Callum also started at Aileymill Primary School in Greenock this year, and his dad says they have been great in helping him progress.

Barry added: “The school has been great and helped him settle in.

“It was a big deal for us sending him off to mainstream school, but they have been superb."

Barry says that whilst Callum tries to keep up with the other children and his older sister Laura, seven, his condition can be disheartening.

He added: “Callum is such a wee character and aside from his mobility he is just a little boy who loves superheroes.

"He even got a new wheelchair with special superhero wheels.

“His condition does get him down and he asks sometimes, ‘why me? why do I have to wear splints?’, it’s such a shame and hard as a parent.

“He tries to run around with the other kids at the primary school but he obviously gets tired a lot quicker and can’t keep up.

“He realises he is different to everyone else.

“That’s also what is good about the specialist centre. It lets him know there are lots of other kids just like him."

The CalMac worker will trek the Great Wall over five days, starting on September 9 next year.

Whilst Barry has set the target at £2,000 he is hoping to raise as much as possible to ensure Callum can continue attending at the centre for as long as possible.

To donate to Barry's cause visit his Go Fund Me page at www.gofundme.com/6bxtwyw