A TEN-YEAR-OLD boy born without a left-hand will have his life transformed when he receives a new state-of-the-art bionic arm.

Jacob Pickering, 10, has struggled with standard NHS prosthetics for years but will now given the £10,000 'Hero Arm'.

The bionic arm made by Bristol-based Open Bionics is the first medically approved prosthesis in the UK which enables precise and delicate movements.

Jacob, from Blackburn, was born without a left-hand due to a condition called amniotic band syndrome

The rare condition is caused by strands of the amniotic sac that separate and entangle digits, limbs, or other parts of the fetus.

Mum Kathryn Litherland said: "I found out after a 20-week scan and Jacob was born this way without a left-hand.

"When he was three, he asked me when was his hand going to grow back. Just what do you say to that?

"Prosthetic limbs were given to him on the NHS but these really weren't really of benefit to him."

It was when Kathryn, and her husband David started looking for alternatives, that they stumbled across Open Bionics and their bionic arm.

So they sent an email to them but the cost of an arm was £10,000 and the family thought they may have to try and raise money for one.

But then investor Tej Kohli, Co-Founder of the Tej Kohli Foundation, came forward and said he would fund the purchase of ten bionic arms for disabled children.

And the first 'Hero Arm' recipient is Jacob, who will receive his new arm just in time for Christmas.

On Wednesday, he travelled with his family to Bristol to meet Mr Kohli, and the founders of British robotics pioneer OpenBionics to see the 3D designs of his new arm and see some of the hero arms being made, including 3D printing.

He will now go back to Bristol on December 19 and be presented with his new bionic arm.

Kathryn said: "It was an amazing experience and is brilliant what they're doing - we can't thank them enough.

"This new arm will give Jacob so much confidence and we really do think it will change his life."

Mr Kohli added: "This gift of ten bionic arms is the first project that we have ever initiated in the UK. I see it as just the beginning, and my hope is that this gift will help to highlight the positive difference that technology can make to the confidence and prospects of a younger person."