Children with cerebral palsy and brain damage are set to benefit from a new fund to help families struggling to cope with physiotherapy bills.

The foundation — established by Oxfordshire-based Footsteps Centre — aims to raise £500,000.

It is hoped the money will help children with neurological disorders whose parents cannot afford regular physio sessions.

Footsteps Foundation founder Pip Hoyer Millar said she was daunted by the fundraising target, but inspired to make the charity a success.

The mother-of-four, from Newington, near Wallingford, said: "I set up Footsteps four years ago and within a short period of time I realised a lot of families found it very difficult to pay for three or four sessions a year.

"A lot of families were having to do their own fundraising.

"I thought they’ve got enough on their plates already and there must be something to do to help.

"I have never done anything like this before and it's a huge amount of work, but I hope — despite the current economic climate — businesses and universities are still putting money aside to help local charities.

"We don't know how much we are going to raise, but initially we’re trying to get £500,000."

When Mrs Hoyer Millar's daughter Minty was diagnosed with cerebral palsy aged 22 months, she was told it could take as long as a year before she saw a physiotherapist on the NHS.

She refused to wait and searched for private treatment in the UK and abroad before she found an affordable and reputable programme in Poland.

For the next two years, she and Minty, now aged 16, spent two years travelling to and from Koszalin.

She said: "In Poland we had three hours of intensive physiotherapy daily for four weeks at a time — one month on, one month off. She made incredible progress and now she's very able.

"She walking and she's independent — it's amazing."

A three-week intensive programme at Footsteps, based in Warborough, costs £1,500, while one hour of physio alone costs £35.

Mrs Hoyer Millar said only a fraction of the more than 70 children the centre had treated since it opened had not struggled to meet the expense of intensive programmes, which she believed were key to making significant improvements.

She said: "There are very few families who find it easy, but every child deserves to be able to fulfil their true full physical and cognitive potential.

"In many cases it’s not that NHS physiotherapy is unhelpful. Indeed, we encourage our families to continue with their community physiotherapy as well as attend Footsteps.

"The intensity of professional exercising is what's important, as well as the quality of physiotherapy."

To find out more about the new foundation you can visit www.footstepsfoundation.com or call 01865 858382.