FAMILY friend Katherine Leyland took the plunge to raise money for two brothers suffering from debilitating medical conditions.

Seven-year-old Damon Birch, from Whalley Avenue, Windlehurst, was born with a severe form of asthma, while two years ago his four-year-old brother Joshua Smith developed Nephritic Syndrome, a rare kidney disease which affects only one in every 50,000 young boys.

Neighbour Katherine Leyland, herself an asthma sufferer and a close friend of the pairs' mum Francesca Birch, was so moved by the boys' plight that she decided to raise money for them by doing a sponsored swim.

After receiving sponsorship from Ian Bates, a solicitor at J. Keith Park & Co., she raised £180 by swimming 25 widths of the pool at Scotchbarn Lane, Prescot. This money has now been split evenly and will be used to buy new equipment for the brothers.

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