A CHARITY has helped make the wish of a little Basingstoke boy come true, giving him a chance to visit Disneyland Paris and meet two of his favourite characters.

Four-year-old Jonathan Cowdrey, of The Beeches, Hatch Warren, who has a life-threatening illness, loves Dumbo and Winnie the Pooh and each time he saw adverts for the Disney theme parks he would point to the Dumbo ride.

Now, along with his mum Sharon, dad Steven and nine-year-old brother Ben, he has been on the Dumbo ride and seen the Winnie the Pooh show.

"The trip was absolutely magical," said Sharon. "We can't thank the charity or the people who donate money enough. They have given us so many memories.

"Money could not have bought this trip. Jonathan had a special pass that allowed us to go to the front of the queue for rides, sit in the front row at shows, and meet the characters. It was wonderful and couldn't have gone any better. Jonathan and his brother are still talking about it."

Originally, the family had hoped to go last year but, because of various operations and treatment for Jonathan, the visit had to be postponed.

His original illness required a liver transplant when he was eight months old, and two years ago he won the 50m track event at the Transplant Games as the youngest competitor. He now has post-transplant lymphoma and no-one knew at the time of the transplant that he also has cancer.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation, a charity that grants wishes to children living with life-threatening illnesses, stepped in to help with the visit to Disneyland, and their spokeswoman Carole Pallant said: "This was a lovely wish and Jonathan and his family have lots of lovely memories."

She added that raising money to grant similar wishes was very rewarding and anyone who would like to help should call 01276 24127.