A GROUP of pram-pushing mums donned their big coats and took to the streets to support the son of one of their friends.

Rachael Francis and 10 other women joined forces for the pram-a-thon, which saw the group walk 5km around Darwen.

Ms Francis organised the event to raise money for a wheelchair for 18-month-old Isaac Wood, who was born with SMA type 1, a condition that causes muscle weakness and affects a child’s ability to move, crawl, sit and even eat.

Ms Francis said: “After he was diagnosed, the doctors gave Isaac six months to live. But then he was given the chance to try a new drug called Spinraza.

“His mum and dad saw a huge improvement in him as soon as he started on it, and now he’s 18 months old and can sit up and roll over and even stand up.

“The doctors couldn’t believe it and said he was the most advanced SMA type 1 child they’d seen.”

Through constant fundraising, Isaac’s parents, Kerry Turner, 28, and Kieran Wood, 31, raised £18,000 to buy their son a special wheelchair to give him the independence he needed.

The chair they chose could increase and decrease in height, would last him for 15 years and allow him to pick things up and take things off shelves and tables.

But, when the Darwen couple went to buy the chair, it had been discontinued and the next best one would cost another £6,000.

Ms Francis added: “All the mums know each other through a Whatsapp group and when Kerry told us they hadn’t been able to get the chair they wanted for Isaac, we decided to do something about it and organised the pram-a-thon to help them raise some more money.

“We’ve got buckets and posters that we’re taking with us on the walk, so we’re hoping people will be generous with their cash. There’s also buckets at Taps Bar and The Victoria in Darwen, and they’ve said they’ll keep the buckets on the bar for the next month to help raise as much as possible.”

Isaac’s mum, Miss Turner, said: “Spinraza is a relatively new drug and was only approved in England this year. Isaac has to go for treatment every four months.

“Having the wheelchair will allow him to be so much more independent and will allow him to do the things he should be able to do.”

Ms Francis added: “Isaac continues to be an inspiration to everyone and has astounded the doctors and medical staff with his development, and we just hope we can raise enough to get him the chair he so desperately needs.”

Visit gofundme.com and search Isaac's Pramathon.