A LITTLE boy with a terminal muscle-wasting condition has gone on the winter holiday of a lifetime with his family after local businesses rallied round to help with a fundraising effort.

Joshua Jessop, 10, from Richmond, lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic disorder characterised by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness – but his adoptive parents Karen and Alan Jessop ensure he has the best possible childhood with regular adventures and experiences to create memories to last a lifetime.

And now Joshua, along with Mr and Mrs Jessop and his siblings Summer-Jane and Ryan, has been able to live out one if his dreams – a trip to Lapland to visit Father Christmas.

Risedale Sports and Community College, Richmond Duck Club, Richmond Meet, and Tesco Catterick Garrison Community have all contributed to the fundraising effort for the trip, and Mrs Jessop said she was extremely grateful to everyone who had donated.

She said: "We came to Lapland on Wednesday morning at 6am but the children only found out on the Tuesday evening during a visit to Santa.

"To say they were excited is an understatement! On Sunday I thought we wouldn’t be able to go as I discovered Joshua’s passport needed renewing – I was horrified as I’d triple checked everything and it was only when I was imputing our details into the check in that to my horror I discovered it.

"I immediately made a first appointment at Durham for Tuesday and emailed our MP Rushi Sunak and the director general of HM Passports to tell our story. "By 9am I had a phone call from Durham passport office, they offered us an appointment as soon as we could get there and within two hours had a new one in my hand."

She added: "Duchenne is a stinker of a disease and is the most common fatal genetic disorder to affect children around the world.

"If you've got it you can't produce dystrophin, a protein you need to build up your muscles.

"As a result every muscle in the body deteriorates and currently there is no cure.

"In light of this we are trying to build up a bank of positive memories for Joshua and he's made the bucket list."

Visiting the real Father Christmas has been on Joshua's bucket list for several years.

The Jessop family organises several events throughout the year, including most recently a Christmas in July party and a concert by cover band Re-Take That.

A fashion show was also organised by senior teacher Jane Hailwood and the Risedale Student Council, working in partnership with Tesco Catterick Garrison.

Mrs Jessop said because Joshua would not live to see as many Christmases as most people, she wanted to make sure he enjoyed as many as possible by holding two festive celebrations each year.

Mr and Mrs Jessop have fostered Joshua since he was a baby, and have fostered and also now adopted his siblings Summer-Jane, nine, who has developmental trauma from being a foster child; and Ryan, two, who has chronic lung disease.

The family are also currently searching for a forever home to meet the needs of the Joshua and Ryan, who require specialist equipment and wheelchair access for Joshua.