A NORTH-EAST youngster suffering from a rare condition is in line for a pioneering operation to rebuild her face.

Hope Elliott, five, of the Redhouse Estate, Sunderland, has cystic lymphovenous malformation - a build up of cysts on her face and throat that restricts her breathing and strangulates her facial nerves.

Internationally-renowned reconstructive surgeon, Professor Ian Jackson, who featured in the TV documentary The Visit rebuilding a Peruvian boy's face, will carry out the complex surgery that will give Hope a better quality of life.

Her parents, Bernadette and Peter, have launched a trust fund to raise the £35,000 needed for the surgery that will start next March.

The youngster is a pupil at Oxclose Primary School, Washington, where a series of fund-raising events have been held.

Hope has already had a series of operations to reduce the size of her face and a trachostomy to help her breathing.

Mrs Elliott said: "We've explored every avenue and consulted with medical specialists in the field, but were becoming devastated that no breakthrough seemed to be possible.

"Our hopes were raised after we heard about a similar case and we secured an appointment to see Professor Jackson.

"Mr Jackson has now seen Hope and, as you can imagine, we were overjoyed to learn that he can carry out an operation and reconstruct Hope's face."

Mrs Elliott added: "The support from family and friends has been great, but with such an amount to raise we've set up the Hope for Hope Trust Fund to appeal to as many people and organisations as possible to help.

"This operation is essential to improve Hope's quality of life, and it is only with the sort of help this appeal can generate that it will be possible."

Anyone wanting to make a donation should write to the Hope for Hope Trust Fund, 7 Runnymede Road, Redhouse Estate, Sunderland, SR5 5QD