'My son defied the odds to walk me down the aisle'

A mother who was told by doctors that her son might never walk said there was not "a dry eye in the room" when he walked her down the aisle.

Chester, now aged three, was diagnosed with severe global developmental delay, which meant he was not reaching the expected developmental milestones for his age, including walking.

His mother Kimberly, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, said she thought she would never see the day that her son was walking confidently.

"I was very overwhelmed because it's just something I never thought would happen," she said.

Kimberly noticed that from the age of three months, Chester was not hitting certain development milestones, so she took him to physio.

His parents were told he might never walk and might struggle with eating after needing surgery for a floppy larynx.

For some people, the delay in their development will be short ­term and can be overcome with additional support or therapy, according to Mencap.

In other cases the delay may be more significant and the child will need ongoing support.

Chester, who was later diagnosed with autism and ADHD, had still not taken his first steps when he started Hope School Nursery in Wigan at the age of two.

Kimberly credits nursery manager Katie Unsworth and teaching assistant Shelley Marston with helping her him to overcome the challenges he faced.

"I do genuinely believe if it weren't for that nursery who would still be in that rut we were in," said Kimberly.

"It's not just a job to them.

"They're outstanding. They've obviously helped our little boy and we'll be forever grateful."

The pair even offered to attend the wedding after Chester took his first steps at the nursery.

"It was amazing, we were absolutely elated, we couldn't believe it, and [it was] very much out of the blue," said Katie about the moment Chester walked for the first time.

"You can't kind of see those first initial steps, but with Chester we were doing pull-to-stand and he was getting sturdier and then he just went.

"It was fantastic and it was about perseverance, really, and it's that want and that need, and Chester had that want to do that, and we just facilitated that, really."

Kimberly married her husband Matthew at Charnock Farm in Preston, Lancashire, on 29 November 2025.

She added: "I'll never be able to put it into words what they've done for us as a family, for our little boy.

"Honestly, it's just amazing how brilliant they are."

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