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Express readers have donated a staggering £80,000 to our Christmas appeal in an incredible outpouring of support for Whizz Kidz. The children's wheelchair charity has been overwhelmed by the flood of generous donations in its time of greatest need. It was recently forced to close its waiting list for the first time in 35 years due to soaring costs and overwhelming demand.

Whizz Kidz chief executive Sarah Pugh said: "We've reached another incredible milestone thanks to the support and generosity of Express readers. Never did we expect to be so overwhelmed by the compassion of the public, and to have now hit the £80k mark is truly extraordinary.

Give the Gift of Childhood is the Express Christmas appeal for 2025, raising money for charity Whizz Kidz.

This money will be used to help tackle the backlog of children needing to be assessed for wheelchairs.

You can donate online here. Or text EXPRESS to 70085 to donate £20. Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you'll be opting into hearing more from Whizz Kidz. If you would like to donate but don't wish to hear more, please text EXPRESSNOINFO instead.

"This will make a life-changing difference to so many young people - not only unlocking their childhood, but for their entire families.

"These donations create a powerful ripple effect, and we cannot thank the public enough for standing with us and supporting our work."

The cash will help youngsters like Nina Dornak, five, who was born with the rare genetic condition spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

Her first Whizz Kidz chair arrived the day before her third birthday, and was "the best present ever".

Mum Nathalie, 42, said: "It was life-changing for her and for us because suddenly she had independence that she never had before.

"When she took her wheelchair to nursery, she suddenly was able to go from room to room, explore, reach out, make friends.

"I remember the nursery teachers were just in tears, they couldn't believe it."

Nina was first issued a lightweight Panthera chair, which she later swapped for a sturdier model in her favourite colour - yellow.

She also has an NHS wheelchair but it tips over easily and she does not feel safe in it.

The youngster was born in 2020, shortly before the pandemic took hold. Nathalie recalled: "That first year, as first-time parents, we didn't know what was right and wrong.

"We went with our gut feeling and slowly but surely we noticed that in comparison to our NCT [parenting class] friends, certain things like rolling over were a bit different for Nina.

"We had lots of hospital appointments and they just couldn't find what was going on."

The family, of Sidcup, travelled to the Czech Republic for physiotherapy, where Nina was diagnosed with SMA.

After returning to the UK, she started receiving a promising gene therapy, Spinraza, on the NHS. Injections every four months aim to slow the progression of her condition.

Nathalie said Whizz Kidz' support had "made life easier for us, not having to worry about the wheelchair".

She added: "We can worry about appointments, the medical side, that she gets what she needs."

Nina's dad Pavel, 46, said: "Whizz Kidz plays an amazing role in society, filling this gap that the NHS can't fill.

"They do a great job, you can rely on them. It has given Nina independence."

You can read more about our Christmas appeal here.