HE can only dream of taking part in normal childhood activities such as riding a bike or swimming.

Ten-year-old Mathew Stride, who suffers from the incurable condition scoliosis, has to wear a body brace 24 hours a day to prevent his spine from curving and twisting.

As if that was not enough, he has just recovered from an operation to stretch his backbone two inches.

It meant that he had to spend two days in intensive care at Southampton General Hospital and learn to walk again through physiotherapy.

Mathew's ordeal touched a chord with friends at Redbridge Primary School in Southampton, who decided that he needed cheering up.

Best mate Sam Johnson, also ten, wrote to children's TV chiefs asking if their pal could appear on one of their programmes.

Now Mathew, from Millbrook, Sam and four other pals are heading to CITV studios to appear on new children's quiz show Scratch and Sniff Den of Doom.

Sam, also from Milbrook, told the Daily Echo: "I knew he had been through so much and wanted to cheer him up so I wrote to a few TV programmes and now we are doing it. I'm glad he's really happy about it."

Mathew's mum, Debbie Maynard, 41, said: "Sam's very close to Mathew and really looks after him. It's an uncomfortable operation and Sam kindly thought Mathew needed cheering up.

"Sam didn't tell any of his friends or his family that he was writing the letter. He's such a lovely lad and always looking out for my son.

"Mathew's a great son and never complains. He's over the moon at going to the studios now."

The trip includes on overnight stay in the house used for popular CITV programme My Parents Are Aliens.

Mathew added: "I didn't know he was going to do that for me.

"He's my best friend and I'm really excited."

The youngster faces returning to hospital every eight months for surgery because he has had titanium rods inserted in his spine which keep it straight but stop it growing.

Doctors hope to fuse the rods with his spine when he is 16, which will allow him to take off the body brace for good.