AMPUTEES and disabled children in Romania are set to get new limbs thanks to medical experts led by a Chorley man.

Four members of the disablement services centre at Royal Preston Hospital set off to the country on Saturday to help re-build the lives of dozens of disabled children and adults.

Led by prosthesis expert, Ken McCrea, of Coppull, the party includes Ken's wife and co-worker Deborah and orthotist specialists Gordon Steel and wife, Esther, together with centre staff Arthur Beavers and Kay Pinder.

They will visit Slatina in the south of the country and Constanta, on the Black Sea coastline. They hope to fit various people with a range of prosthetic limbs and help raise awareness for the Cornel Rehabilitation Centre Trust appeal, a campaign dedicated to creating a £250,000 special disablement services centre in Romania.

It is a centre inspired by Romanian children - Cornel Hrisca Mann, 14, who was born with no arm and just one leg, and Stefan Ruso, five, who is partially missing all four limbs and was institutionalised at birth and not expected to survive.

While Cornel was adopted by a British family and received treatment for his disabilities, Ken created limbs for Stefan, who now lives with his family in Romania, and walks independently.

Ken has been going back and forth to Romania for about five years after word of his expertise in creating recycled prosthetics got around.

Since then he has been back to the country 20 times to craft new limbs for people.

"Stefan is a little star and the reason why we do it," said Ken. "The effect it has on people's lives was summed up perfectly in a letter one young boy wrote to me which said 'thank you for making my new leg, now I can run and play football and have more friends. You not only gave me a new leg you gave me a new life.'

"It's young children like this boy and Stefan who provide the motivation to go back and help more people."