Symbrachydactyly: Wymondham girl to return to school with bionic arm

Some of the fundraising events for Caitlin's new arm included superhero day at school and lots of bake sales

A seven-year-old girl is preparing to return to school with a new bionic arm.

Caitlin, from Wymondham in Norfolk, was born with a condition that left her with no bones in the fingers of her left hand.

She will become the youngest person in the UK to be fitted with a Hero Arm, made by the Open Bionics Foundation.

Her mother Maria says having the new arm will help her lead "a life the same as all her peers".

Caitlin was born with symbrachydactyly, a condition that occurs in about one in 32,000 births.

Her parents say fundraising efforts have not just helped raise money but awareness of the condition too.

"Lots of donations and just raising people's awareness of the condition and what we can do to help Caitlin lead... a life the same as all her peers," Maria said.

The extra money made from the fundraiser will help the family to support Caitlin as she grows up

Caitlin is now set to make repeated visits to Open Bionics in Bristol to prepare for the £13,000 new bionic arm.

The process will involve assessing the movement rate in her arm and making a plaster cast of her "little arm".

The prosthetic uses sensors connected to arm muscles which will allow Caitlin to operate her new arm.

The new arm will be ready for Caitlin to in August in time for her return to school in September.

The family has raised more than £18,000 which they hope will future-proof the arm for years to come.

"She's going to grow quite a lot in the next five years and they will have to recast her and make a new arm," Maria said.

"We have got the funds there to be able to do that otherwise it's only a limited thing... we want to be able to provide her that arm in the future as well."