Star comment: Town digs deep for little Evie
It's the simple things in life that we often take for granted. Particularly when we are young.
But little Evie Poole has certainly not been able to take many things for granted during her first five or six years, as she battles to come to terms with the restrictive symptoms of cerebral palsy.
Thankfully, her family has strong roots in Shropshire; a county which, unlike many other parts of Britain, has not yet abandoned the idea of community.
And so, when the primary health trust turned its back on her, local people stepped forward.
In just six months, they had reached the target, and next Thursday, the youngster will head up to Leeds General Infirmary for the operation which, without the support of these generous Shropshire people, would never have been possible.
It seems rather incongruous that health bosses, who are often only too happy to use taxpayers' money for non-essential cosmetic surgical procedures, would refuse to fund the kind of corrective surgery for young Evie that could give her a fighting chance of walking unaided for the first time in her life.
It is equally amazing, in these times of austerity, that so many people who have never even met little Evie have been prepared to dig deep to support her family's appeal.
It is a reassuring reminder of the huge hearts and generosity which Shropshire people show on a regular basis.
Their kindness never fails to shock and surprise. Nor should it. We should celebrate and recognise the sort of generosity which makes our county such a special place in which to live, but never take it for granted.
Evie Poole isn't reaching for the stars. She simply wants to be able to walk and run around with her little brother, and her cousins.
Let us hope that the operation is a success, and that her parents get the belated chance to experience the special rite of passage, seeing their daughter take her very first steps.
