The Northern Echo has joined a campaign to raise £10,000 to buy artificial limbs for a teenager struck down by meningitis as a baby.

Lyndon Longhorne, from County Durham, is hoping to swim in the 2012 Paralympics but the prosthetic legs given to him by the NHS are painful and hampering his development as an athlete.

Now the Echo is encouraging its readers to donate cash so £10,000 can be given to the family to buy limbs from a specialist clinic, based near Bournemouth.

The 13-year-old contracted meningitis aged just ten months and lost both legs and part of an arm.

A launch message in the Echo said: "Lyndon has inspired us every step of the way and it therefore seems natural for us to throw our weight behind a campaign to buy him a special pair of new legs to help him achieve his dreams.

"He already has prosthetic legs from the National Health Service, but they are proving uncomfortable.

"A target of £10,000 has been set by Durham County Council chairman Brian Myers to buy this remarkable little boy legs, which will give him greater comfort, and make life easier as he pursues his sporting goals.

"We are happy to support the campaign because he is an example to us all, demonstrating that the most difficult obstacles can be overcome with the right attitude."