Merseyside fund is launched to help local disabled children
THE family of local Merseyside boy Alex Connerty are
backing the launch of an appeal to provide specialist equipment for children
with disabilities in the metropolitan area. Alex's mum is so grateful for
the specialist car seat she now has to keep her 9 year old son safe while that
she is urging local people to help change the lives of other local children.
Right now, there are 46 children with disabilities or a terminal illness in
Merseyside who need your help to get the specialist equipment that will really
change their lives. That's why leading UK children's disability charity Newlife
Foundation is launching the Newlife Merseyside Fund's new
website. It is an opportunity for
local people to help local disabled children and every penny donated or
fundraised in Merseyside is guaranteed to support vulnerable families in the
county.
Special disability equipment including wheelchairs, walkers, beds, seating and
communication aids can help give children independence, keep them safe, relieve
pain and overcome challenges. For instance, you could help a child be discharged
from hospital, take their first steps or kick a football with their friends.
Together we can really change the lives of children with disability and terminal
illness, supporting them to experience and enjoy life and all that we take for
granted.
Newlife has already helped 354 children in Merseyside through equipment grants
and loans totalling more than £325,600, so we know there is a very real need for
a specific county fund. In this way we aim to help more children, more quickly.
Statutory services in Merseyside often have a responsibility to make equipment
provision, but when help is declined, Newlife steps in. The charity challenges
many such decisions and has an impressive success rate. However, where we are
unable to overturn these decisions, we provide the equipment ourselves through
our range of grant and loan services. We do this with the support of front-line
health professionals across Merseyside who have helped Newlife help local
children in real need.
The Newlife Merseyside Fund will support equipment provision for under-19s
facing any significant disability, whether acquired through birth defect,
prematurity, accident or illness.
Vitally, the Newlife Merseyside Fund
website will enable local people to
find out who needs help in their county right now and highlight the support the
charity gives vulnerable families. It includes contact details for the Newlife
County Liaison Team, via calling them on:- 01543 431 444 or sending an email
to:-
local@newlifecharity.co.uk – and
shows specific ways people can help support children with disability and
terminal illness and their families.
That might involve taking part in a local sporting challenge, give you
information on how to organise a fundraising event; or even ask you to donate
£5 today! Volunteers are also needed to help raise awareness of what we do and
how we do it.
We hope that by launching the Newlife Merseyside Fund, children with
disabilities or terminal illness in the county won't have to go without the
equipment they need for everyday life.
Newlife Foundation supports families in Merseyside
through a range of free services:-
► Nurse staffed helpline
► Equipment grants
► Emergency equipment loans
► Sensory and developmental toy 'pod' loans.
Alex has a rare form of dwarfism which means that as well as
having short stature he is a very light weight. Sue Connerty, from the Maghull
area of Liverpool, said:- "Alex had outgrown his standard car seat – his
head was above the back of the seat and the straps didn't fit properly any more
so he wasn't secure. We went several places to get a larger car seat for Alex,
but because he weighs less than 15 kilos they wouldn't sell us one.
It was only when I got talking to Alex's occupational therapist that I found out
about specialist car seats. When we realised how much one would cost (£660) the
OT then told us to contact Newlife. We would have had to take out a bank loan to
be able to afford one ourselves.
Alex's safety had been a big worry for us; and the car seat we have now through Newlife
is perfect for his needs. Not only that but he is much more comfortable in the
new seat so he is happier to go out in the car. Alex is also able to get in it
himself, which gives him a bit more independence."
Newlife is the largest single provider of specialist car seats around the UK,
having invested more than £1.6million in the safety of disabled and terminally
ill children. This is because local authorities do not have a statutory
obligation to supply this equipment; instead, families can apply for a medical
exemption certificate which allows their children to be transported unsecured.
However, Newlife believes that the safety of disabled children is as important
as the in vehicle security of able bodied children and is currently campaigning
for a change in the law. In the meantime, the charity continues to support
families through provision.
