Disabled Torfaen boy set for trip of a lifetime to Legoland

Ellis Smith, seven, will spend three days at Legoland theme park after his great uncle Les Watkins raised more than a £1,000 to fund the surprise this summer.

Wheelchair user Ellis has a condition called neurofibromatosis, which has seen inoperable tumours grow in different parts of his body.

When he was one, the Torfaen boy had to have half of his bladder removed due to cancer and has also been fitted with a breathing tube.

His father Neil Smith, 36, of St Dials, said: “With the condition Ellis has got it is always difficult for doctors to give us a prognosis.

“Where the tumours are they can’t really be operated on.

“There is a lot of uncertainty, a lot of problems in different areas.

“It’s not like cancer where you can give chemotherapy. It doesn’t really work like that. There is no real treatment.

“We are very grateful and say a big thank you to Les and all his friends in Germany who donated funds.

“We know Ellis will really appreciate it and enjoy the trip.”

Mr Smith, his wife Ceri, 34, and their daughter Amelie, three, will drive to the theme park in Windsor on Sunday.

They will be joined by other relatives, including Les, who will stay at Legoland for a day.

The money raised will be used to pay for admission and accommodation for two nights for Ellis, his parents and his sister at the Legoland hotel.

Mr Watkins, 65, lived in Germany for two decades and has been back in Cwmbran for about a year.

He thanked people who helped him raise £1,125 at a shooting festival in Dorsten in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, during a recent return, including Angelika Byrne and Andre Kohl.

The retired army sergeant indicated that his family was not sure if Ellis would live past his teens.

Mr Watkins, of St Dials, said Ellis was hugely excited for the trip.

“His face is like a bottle of pop," he said. "He’s so happy.

“He has been through a fair bit, this young lad. If you talk to him he smiles, he’s very intelligent as well.”