TODAY is a landmark day for teenager Lyndon Longhorne, who will meet the man who will change his life.

Lyndon, 13, who lost his legs and an arm to meningitis as a baby, is travelling to a private clinic in Leeds to be measured for artificial legs paid for by thousands of supporters across the North-East.

Readers of The Northern Echo backed a campaign, led by Durham County Council chairman Brian Myers, to raise £10,000 to buy legs from private specialist clinic Dorset Orthopaedic.

We will be at the Nuffield Health clinic tomorrow for the first of several appointments with prosthetic consultant Mark Ledger.

The new legs should be ready before Lyndon’s 14th birthday, at the end of November, and he can’t wait to get on his feet. They will help him realise his dream of swimming in the 2012 Paralympic Games and allow him to get around on his own just like any other teenager.

Lyndon had a set of NHS legs but he found them uncomfortable and preferred to move around without them.

An active boy who goes to school at King James I Performing Arts College, in Bishop Auckland, he plays football and appears on stage with the Theatre Hooligans group as well as swimming four nights a week. He has received many national and regional awards, meeting Prince Harry at his latest presentation ceremony in London two weeks ago.

Councillor Myers was so inspired by his courage that he made him the youngest recipient of his Chairman’s Medal and took him under his wing.

With £15,000 already in the bank, the chairman has extended his Legs4Lyndon campaign to read Limbs4Lyndon, setting his sights on eventually buying him a bionic arm.

He joined Lyndon, his mother, Tammy Shevels, and grandfather Terry Wheeldon, yesterday to receive a £200 cheque from neighbours in Crook, who are members of the Low Mown Meadows and Foundry Fields Residents Association.

Lyndon said: “I can’t wait. I am really excited to be getting new legs. Being able to walk will change my life. It will get me out of my wheelchair and improve my general fitness.

“Having the support of so many people is amazing. It is hard to put into words how much it means.”

Ann Morgan, residents’ association chairwoman, said: “We have watched Lyndon grow up, he is fantastic. We are all very proud of him.”