STAFF at west end restaurant Celino's raised thousands of pounds towards a life-changing operation for a Glasgow teenager.

Claudio and Joanne Celino hosted a fundraiser last week to raise cash for a pioneering 12-hour surgery for their 16-year-old niece.

Ciara, who was born and brought up in the city, was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) when she was aged 13, which is a rare and debilitating genetic condition.

EDS means she has had to deal with symptoms including chronic pain, headaches, gastro complications, blackouts, partial dislocations of her joints, fatigue and heart irregularities.

And now the teen is facing a risk of paralysis because her brain stem is falling down and increasingly putting increasing pressure on her spine.

But the only medical specialists who can carry out the complicated and expensive procedure to stop this are based in Barcelona.

Claudio and Joanne, whose restaurant is based in Dumbarton Road, have joined up with the rest of their family to collect funds.  And the charity event at the Partick restaurant gave the cash pot a fantastic boost by raising £11,000.

The cost of Ciara's operation is £80,000 which is the equivelent to 100,000 Euros.

Those who wish to donate to the fundraiser can do so here.