TWINS James and Edward Coombes were born with a condition that, if left untreated, could leave their heads permanently deformed.

Luckily for the one-year-olds, an RAF charity has agreed to pay for treatment not funded by the NHS in Oxfordshire.

The non-identical twins were born with torticollis – a condition which caused their heads to tilt to the right — and plagiocephaly – a flattening of the back of their heads.

Parents Andy and Arabella Coombes, of Kestrel Close, Carterton, were offered physiotherapy on the NHS but decided to dig into savings to pay £3,800 for special therapy, where the twins must wear specially-made helmets 23 hours a day.

When Mrs Coombes’ sister Alice Crafts heard about the therapy, she asked for help from the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA).

And on Tuesday representatives of the Newbury and district branch presented the family with a cheque to cover the cost of the helmets.

Corporal Coombes, who is a steward at RAF Brize Norton, said: “£3,800 was a fair bit out of my savings.

“I am a proud man and I don’t really like asking for help, but my sister-in-law saw an article in RAF News where RAFA had funded helmet treatment and she got in contact with them.”

Dennis Dorey, chairman of the charity’s Newbury and district branch, said: “I know that as devoted parents Andy and Arabella would not see their children suffer needlessly, but £3,800 out of anybody’s savings is a major blow.”

James and Edward were born in October 2008, 10 weeks prematurely. During the seven weeks they spent in intensive care they were diagnosed with the condition.

Cpl Coombes, 35, said: “We didn’t want to send them to school with anything that will make them stand out from the crowd, as it’s hard enough for children.”

The condition is cosmetic, but if left untreated the boys’ heads would be permanently mis-shapen. They have been wearing the helmets for a year but should soon no longer need them.

Cpl Coombes, who has been in the RAF for 17 years, said: “The boys have got very used to the helmets, they have learnt to headbutt things, including mummy and daddy.”

Mrs Coombes said: “I think to have non-identical twins with exactly the same thing is quite unusual. We are really grateful – this help was like a light at the end of the tunnel.”

She believes the condition developed while the twins were in her womb, and their heads were pushed against each other.

Dr Ljuba Stirzaker, a consultant in public health medicine with the Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust, said: “The treatment is not normally funded by the PCT, on the basis of insufficient evidence of clinical effectiveness and the fact that it relates to a cosmetic, not a functional problem.”