THE parents of a two-year-old with a rare heart condition say they will be able to enjoy the trip of a lifetime even more after a donation from work colleagues.

Staff at Royal Mail's Longton Delivery Office handed over a cheque for £1,251 to Chris Simpson and his wife and children yesterday.

The money will come in handy when they go on a week-long trip to Florida next month.

Staff at Stoke-on-Trent charity Caudwell Children have organised the holiday due to 26-month-old William having Mitral Valve Stenosis.

The family, from Chatsworth Place, Meir, is one of 40 to get the opportunity, and postman Chris said it meant a lot to them.

He said: "It is something my wife and I couldn't do without Caudwell because William's insurance would have cost too much for us.

"I knew my workmates had raised some spending money for us, but I was shocked when I found out how much it was."

Chris's colleagues raised the money through a series of events, kicked-off with a team-building karting event in June this year.

A 43-mile sponsored bike ride raised £450 and football matches with Kidsgrove Delivery Office raised more than £250.

Other activities included lottery games and a come to work in a football shirt day.

Ken Wooldridge, manager of Longton Delivery Office, said: "People really put their hands in their pockets both at work and in the public."

The depot's union representative John Hamnett added: "We knew it was for a workmate who was in a bad place so we decided to stand together and give him some support.

"You could see from the presentation how much it all meant to the family."

William has already endured two open heart operations for his condition, which restricts the heart's capability to circulate blood, and faces the possibility of a heart transplant when he is six.

The trip he is going on with his parents and three brothers is designed for those with high medical dependency, which often makes travel impossible.

His mother, 36-year-old Tracey, who has given up work to look after him, said: "It is just amazing to think that we haven't got to worry about money while we are out there, and people who haven't even met me or William are to thank for that.

"What they have done for us is absolutely wonderful and we are very grateful to them."