Tony Hudgell: Double-amputee prepares for life-changing surgery

Tony Hudgell was the youngest recipient of a New Year Honour in December

A nine-year-old boy who had both legs amputated after he was abused as a baby is preparing for a potentially life-changing operation to allow him to walk without crutches.

Tony Hudgell, from West Malling, Kent, is to have the surgery at Sheffield Children's Hospital in March.

He lost his legs due to injuries inflicted by his birth parents, who were jailed for 10 years in 2018.

His adoptive mother, Paula Hudgell, said it was "all systems go".

She said: "We have been planning for this for almost the last year now. We're a little bit nervous now because we know it's fast-approaching."

She said Tony would need physiotherapy over the next year and knew it would be "tough-going" with a leg and hip in a cage for up to a year, but was well-prepared.

Tony told BBC Breakfast he knew it would be difficult moving around, but he said: "I want to run."

'All worth it'

Ms Hudgell said they thought they might have to travel to America for the surgery which would have led to "a huge amount of fundraising".

She added: "We have found one other person that can perform this operation, who works at Sheffield's Children's Hospital. So the wonderful Mr James Fernandes will be performing this operation for him.

Obviously, we have got to travel from London to Sheffield every week as well, as well as our stay after the operation as well but hopefully it will all be worth it."

Tony, who co-founded the Tony Hudgell Foundation, was the youngest-ever recipient of a New Year Honour in December when he was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the prevention of child abuse.

At the age of five, he challenged himself to walk 10km unaided to raise money for the hospital that saved his life.

Last year, he climbed Orrest Head in the Lake District, raising more than £19,000.

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