A LITTLE Gambian boy who was brought to England over two years ago for a life-saving operation thanks to a local fundraising appeal is making terrific progress.

Instigator of the appeal, Christine Pleydell from Drewsteignton, has recently returned from her annual visit to the Gambia to see Pa Modou, whose life was saved by an operation at Bristol Children's Hospital to cure a hole in the heart condition when he was six.

Mrs Pleydell, who first met the little boy and his family while holidaying in their country in 1997 and desperately wanted to help him, said she was very pleased to see how healthy he was and how well he was doing at school.

'He is getting on really well and every time I see him he asks if he can come back on the plane with me,' she said. 'Maybe later on he can come back and finish his education in England.

'He had a lovely time when he was over here and made a great many friends. It will be wonderful when he can speak a bit more English so he can tell us more about his experience of the underground, the escalators and what it was like having everybody taking pictures of you.'

More than £12,500 was raised following the appeal in the Okehampton Times which funded Pa and his mother's trip to England and medical treatment. Although it was quite a straightforward operation, Pa would surely have died had Mrs Pleydell not responded to his plight as medical facilities in the Gambia are very limited.

'We had a brilliant response from the public and the children from Okehampton College, who are still raising money to fund Pa's school fees,' said Mrs Pleydell.

'They gave whatever they could — pennies and pounds and it all added up. At the moment I still have enough in the fund in case an emergency arises.'

When she saw how ill the little boy was back in 1997, Mrs Pleydell said she could not stand by and let him die knowing that something could be done.

In an article in the Okehampton Times to launch the appeal in 1998 she said she knew there were other children like Pa Modou in the Gambia and other countries but she was committed to try and save this life and give something back to a country that provided her with a holiday she looked forward to every year.

Speaking to the Times this week she reiterated those words: 'He is such a special little boy and that is why I took to him and wanted to help him. Everybody who meets him falls in love with him.'