Girl's thanks after leg operation

Li Quing Yue thanks shoe maker Peter Watkins

A Chinese schoolgirl has travelled thousands of miles to thank the pensioners who saved her leg.

Li Quing Yue's infected leg faced amputation until a group of Barnsley pensioners heard of her plight through one of their relatives teaching in China.

They raised the £2,000 needed to fund the 15-year-old's surgery through a sponsored swim.

The money also paid the fare to bring Li Quing over to South Yorkshire for a three-week stay with her saviours.

Specialist shoes

While in the UK the teenager was taken to a specialist shoe makers who crafted a pair of bespoke shoes.

The new footwear allowed Li Quing to walk unaided for the first time in her life.

Speaking through an interpreter she said: "If it wasn't for the love from the people of Barnsley I would never have had the chance to walk like a normal person."

The pensioners now plan to raise enough money to fund a clinic for Li Quing's remote home village.

After watching her take her first steps one of the fundraisers said: "It's absolutely marvellous and out of this world. I can't explain what I feel like."