Child star to have spine op after £125k is raised

A JCOSS pupil who played Matilda on the West End stage will travel to America for life-altering surgery after her family raised more than £125,000 in an online campaign.

Dancer, singer and actress Lucy-Mae Beacock has a degenerative spinal condition that could spell an end to her showbiz career.

Born with spina bifida, she underwent two major operations by the age of two. Ever since, she and her Barnet family have learnt to manage the condition. But two years ago, Lucy-Mae was diagnosed with scoliosis, a condition causing curvature of the spine.

Following the success of the online campaign, Lucy-Mae will undergo surgery in New York.

A statement on the family’s GoFundMe page confirms that surgery has been booked for April 3. “We cannot thank you all enough for enabling this to happen.”