A YOUNG cerebral palsy sufferer could be given his first steps to independence, thanks to generous fund-raisers -- and a local punk band.

John Hindle, now nine, was born three months premature, weighing 2lb 1oz, and suffered a brain haemorrhage at just three days old.

He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy after 14 weeks and spent more of his first two years in hospital than at home.

Now he is like any other young boy in many ways but his physical disability limits the number of things he can do for himself so his parents, Trevor and Janet, have decided to buy him an electric wheelchair.

He currently has a basic model of chair, supplied by the Preston Disabled Centre, but the new one will have a hydraulic seat to give John more flexibility and independence.

The problem is that the new chair costs almost £5,500 and the family have already had to move house from a cottage in Knuzden, Oswaldtwistle, to Victoria Street, Clayton-le-Moors, to accommodate John's needs.

But staff at Asda Accrington soon brought a smile to the family's faces, when, during National Laughter Week, they dressed up and held a fundraising day just for John.

And they even got their friends in local band Nobody's Heroes to use their final concert on Friday as a fundraiser towards the chair.

The band who played their final gig at the Brewers Arms, Thwaites Road, Oswaldtwistle, charged their fans to sing-a-long with them and also held general collections behind the bar.

Football fan John said: "It's wonderful, but the people at Asda look very daft.

"When I get the new chair it will make me more independent and I will be able to do things for myself. The best thing will be being able to reach the Rocky biscuits which are in the fridge. I have to get my sister or mum to do it now."

His mum said: "This new chair will last him five or six years so the cost is nothing when you look at it that way but it is a lot to find now.

"His sister, Samantha, six, is a big help at home, but we really struggle when we go on family days out."

John, a pupil at St Andrew's Primary School, Oswaldtwistle, enjoys horse riding at Lord's House Farm, Rishton, on Thursdays and swimming at Hyndburn Sports Centre, but Trevor and Janet have struggled to find other groups which accomodate his needs.

Janet added: "John's independence is very important to him as he is so mentally alert and he gets so frustrated when he cannot join in."