A campaign has been launched to raise £10,000 to help a Corsham toddler who needs an operation that is only available in America.

Mum Aimee Price, 18, and dad Jamie Francis are calling on the public to help their 15-month-old son Colby, who has a large growth on his right eyelid. The condition is known as hemangioma. The tumour is benign but causes Colby great discomfort.

He was born with the growth and receives medication but the NHS will not remove it.

The couple have been seeking further consultation and have contacted a specialist in New York, who will carry out surgery to remove the hemangioma.

Ms Price, who lives in Silman Close, said: “It is basically a birthmark that is the size of a golf ball and it needs to be removed.

“He has been on medication for a year and there has been no change. So I decided to get in touch with doctors in America who said it needs to be removed.

“The medication should shrink a hemangioma but it hasn’t worked, which means our only option is to travel to New York.”

The Vascular Birthmark Institution, in New York, is a hospital that specialises in the removal of hemangiomas and vascular birthmarks.

The family plan to hold a series of fundraising events to pay for the trip and would welcome donations. Ms Price said: “We don’t have a deadline for when we’d like to get over there but obviously as soon as possible is our intention. The growth is on his eyelid and at times it forces him to close his eye which, long term, will have an effect on his eyesight and cause discomfort.

“Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to let this affect him but as he gets older it will. We’ve started to notice him touching it more and more recently so we want to get it removed before he starts to pay greater attention to it.”

Anyone wishing to donate money to the campaign can visit justgiving.com/colbyshemangioma