News & Forthcoming Events
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Last Update: 17.01.20 During 2020, the details of our work are: 2 Grants completed to date Our Activity in Recent Years:
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£1,653.11 |
We have seen an increase in the number of smaller grants in the last few years. In 2019 our analysis showed that 53.6% of our grants (by number) required only 25% of our funding. With the steady expansion of our contact base, we are now helping more families with small items which make a big difference to the problems they face.
News about the Charity:
With completion of the 11th Grant in 2019 we reached the major milestone of £750,000 raised and granted without taking a single penny from the Charity in administration costs. Everything donated was used for the benefit of the children. This has occurred only two years (almost to the day) from completion of the previous milestone of £500,000 raised and granted. While we hope to target our next big milestone by 2021, we are increasingly limited by the funding we can raise, and , as usual, we shall need the wonderful help we receive from our supporters.
We never anticipated the rate of growth we have seen, or the amount already granted when we started. Sadly this clearly highlights how serious the problems are in this area and how much help is needed.
Donations:
There are full details on our Donation Page of the various methods of making a donation to us, as well as the Everyclick Donation button (centre of the Donation Page), which allows an online donation to be made quickly by Credit or Debit card.
Current and Future Events in 2019:
We started the year with a collection of £720.00 from an 80th Birthday Party, held at Stourbridge Rugby Club. A very kind and useful donation which will be a great help. The St Thomas's Church Xmas Tree Collection has also provided a further useful boost of £250.00. We also received the second of a three year support package from the Barbara Ward Foundation, with another £5,000.00 added to our reserves.
2019 has seen an exceptionally busy start to the year, and with reserves depleted, a short respite to give us time to catch up with our fundraising would be appreciated. Sadly, with the demand that we see, this is unlikely to happen, and 2019 will yet again be a challenge.
As a help towards that funding challenge, local nPower Office staff collected £500.00 for us, which has been matched by the company. Apparently, we helped a child at the start of the year who is related to a member of staff, and they very kindly decided to organise a collection for us. The funding was much needed and has already helped with the latest grant. So thank you again nPower.
Newfields Masonic Old Halesowians Lodge raised £232.00 at a table collection in May and in June we received £1,000.00 from the We are all Making a Difference Charity. Although we are having to operate a short (hopefully) waiting list, these donations , plus other regular income, have allowed us to continue to approve some requests for help.
Stourbridge Motorcycle Club held their Annual Event on July 13th, and we were one of the two designated charities to receive a share of the funds raised, so a big thank you to them, and we were pleased to receive a final total of £510.00.
We were again invited to the Butterfly Fellowship 2012 Group in early September as they had kindly collected for us once more, and we received a cheque for £1,000.00, which was very much appreciated. as we were in the process of completing a number of grants.
We were invited to seak at the Stourbridge Rotary lunch meeting to update members about the work of the Charity. They had managed to obtain a grant of £500.00 from the Rotary District, which then then matched, to give us a further £1,000.00 towards our work.
The Dudley News are holding their Forging a Future Awards on November 28th, and we have been selected as the nominated charity. We have supplied the details requested, as well as 250 donation envelopes for distribution on the tables at the event. We look forward to raising some useful funding from this very generous offer by the Dudley News, as well as the opportunity to raise the profile of the Charity.
The year end will see the completion of the two year term of office of the Gentleman Captain (Stourbridge Golf Club) - Dave Fourness - who very kindly nominated us as one of the two selected charities during his captaincy. We should then receive our share of the funding raised at the start of 2020, which will be a great help in the New Year.
We were invited to attend a Kinver Rotary Club event at Stourbridge Old Edwardian Club on Friday 8th November, and speak about the work of the Charity, where we then received a cheque for £500.00. We currently have an invite to the Netherton Wives Club who have again very kindly collected for us throughout the year, in mid November, and speak about the work of the Charity.
The Greenfield Singers kindly held a collection for us at a recent event and we have received a cheque for £200.00 which was most welcome. My Cause UK has also contacted us and we have been informed that a supporter has raised £75.00 for us which will shortly be transferred to our account. We do not know who has helped us, but may we extend our thanks.
We were invited to speak at the Netherton Methodist Wives Group on Thursday 21st November, where they kindly presented us with a cheque for £1,000.00 from collections made during the yera. This was particularly welcome as we have been very busy during November and the funds will be quickly used.
Once again we received significant help from the Robert McAlpine Foundation which really helps us to continue our work, and we are very grateful for their support.
All of these events and donations help to keep much needed funding coming in.
News of Recent Grants Made:
17.01.20 We completed a grant of £1,435.50 to provide the balance of funding required for a special car seat for an 8 year old witha diagnosis of Micro Syndrome, which presents with a range of problems including hip displacement and discrepancies in limb length. Having outgrown her existing car seat she required a new seat capable of providing the special support required, as she has poor head and trunk control in addition to her special seating needs. Following a detailed assessment, a suitable seat was specified by our regular supplier with whom we have a discount structure. With the family having already raised some funding, we agreed to grant the balance required for the purchase to proceed.
08.01.20 The first grant of the New Year was completed. He has a diagnosis of Spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and is non-verbal. He has been provided with communication software for an iPad by the ACT Centre in Birmingham, but he uses a wheelchair and needs a tray to support the equipment when in use. Wheelchair Services will not support the extra cost, so we agreed to fully fund.
22.12.19 We have completed one more small grant for £516.00 for a 6 month old child with a diagnosis of Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKD) and who is unable to position or support herself independently. Her Paediatric Physiotherapist proposed an Early Activity System from James Leckey Design Ltd. to hold her securely and provide the support she needed. We agreed to fully fund.
13.12.19 We have completed four further grants in the last week:
£1,431.00 for a young lady born with a congenital right hemiplegia, and who exhibited with epilepsy, development delay and a weak right arm and leg. She was independently mobile but had reduced movement and needed to use her right arm more. Her Paediatric Physiotherapist had proposed a special exercise trike to build muscle strength, encourage equal use of both arms and to improve her co-ordination. We were asked if we could fully fund the trike specified, to which we agreed.
£315.00 for a 1.8 year old with a diagnosis of quadriplegic cerebral palsy, and has limited head and trunk control. She was unable to use a standard bath seat safely, but a Firefly Splashy was found to suit her needs. With no funding available for this equipment we were asked if we could help and we agreed to fully fund.
£2,251.51 for an 18 year old with a range of problems including cerebral palsy, severe scoliosis, and learning difficulties. We had helped in 2016 with some braking components for her wheelchair, and we were again asked if we could help. She uses a moulded seat wheelchair to provide the support needed which is not comfortable and causes pressure points. The proposal was for a Ppod bean seat to provide comfortable secure seating when she does not need the wheelchair, which we agreed to fully fund.
£2,001.20 for a 9 year old who has problems with motor control of all of his limbs, global development delay and severe learning difficulties. We helped previously in 2013 with funding for a walker, and although he has some independent mobility, he still requires use of a walker. Having now outgrown the previous unit we were asked for help in funding a replacement. We agreed to provide the balance required.
08.12.19 We completed another grant, this time for £1,431.00 for a young lady whio was born with a congenital right hemiplegia, and exhibitred with epilepsy, development delay and a weak right arm and leg. She was independently mobile but had reduced movement and needed to use her right arm more. Her Paediatric Physiotherapist had proposed a special exercise trike to build muscle strength, encourage equal use of both arms and to improve her co-ordination. We were asked if we could fully fund the trike specified, to which we agreed.
05.12.19 We have completed three further grants during the week:
£395.00 for a child approaching 2 years old with a diagnosis of Spina Bifida, and is currently only able to crawl slowly. Her Paediatric Occupational Therapist proposed a Leckey Scoot unit to give her independent mobility in a safe stable seating position, and give her good experience until she is big enough to use a wheelchair. We agreed to help and fully fund the equipment.
£620.00 for an 11 year old who has been severley sight impaired since birth with a range of problems. He uses a Perkins Brailler at school and his parents are keen for him to use a Brailler at home. He had a lightweight unit which had become beyond repair, and we were asked if we could help with the purchase of a new unit, similar to the one he uses at school. We agreed to fully fund.
£1,453.95 for a 4.5 year old who is currently undergoing screening to determine a full diagnosis. She exhibits with dysmorphic features, global development delay, gross and fine motor skills delay, hearing and sight impairment, and can only walk short distances as she has skeletal deformities. Her Paediatric Physiotherapist proposed a special exercise trike to improve her general condition, co-ordination, and build up her leg strength. In view of the family circumstances we agreed to fully fund.
30.11.19 We have completed a grant of £689.13 for a 20 year old with Fragile X Syndrome, severe learning difficulties, behavioural problems and a diagnosis of autism. Use a Safespaces safety sleeper but his mattress had worn out and was no longer providing the support needed. With a family relation contributing £200.00, we agreed to fund the balance required.
23.11.19 Another busy week where we have completed 4 more applications:
£415.00 for a six year old with a diagnosis of Downs Syndrome and other medical problems. He was able to release himself from his car seat during transport and a new seating system was required with a more secure magnetic lock harness to hold him safely and securely. With the family in a position to co-fund, and the cost reduced to £828.57 with our discount, we agreed to fund the £415.00 needed.
£1,064.95 for a 10 year old with a diagnosis of microcephaly, which exhibits as development delay. A special exercise trike was proposed to help to develop her co-ordination and motor skills, and improve her general fitness. With the family having raised some funding, we agreed to provide the balance required for the purchase to proceed.
£449.00 for a 9 year old with visual impairment which can not be corrected by his glasses as a result of a number of conditions. He is now having problems accessing reading text, and Dudley Vision Impairment Service have recommended an iPad for use at both school and at home. With no school budget available, we were asked if we could fund this equipment, which we agreed to do.
£2,449.56 for a 17 year old with learning difficulties, epilepsy, a diagnosis of autism and suffers frequent painful subluxations (partial dislocations) of her knee caps. Her Paediatric Physiotherapist recommended a special exercise trike to help with her exercises to try to build leg muscle strength to resolve the painful dislocation problem. With the family able to raise £250.00 towards the cost, we agreed to fund the balance after our agreed discount with the supplier, reduced in this case as only part of the cost was VAT exempt for this model trike.
16.11.19 We have completed two more applications as the usual Q4 surge in demand continues.
£2,333.09 for a 13 year old with a diagnosis of Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 3 (a brittle bone condition leading to regular fractures),together with other medical and development problems. The proposal was to purchase a special exercise trike to try to develop her leg strength and improve her general health. With the family having raised a small amount, we agreed to fund the balance, the final cost being reduced by £1,105.97 due to the claim for VAT exemption and our discount agreement with the supplier.
£462.00 for a 17 year old with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, severe learning disability and severe challenging behaviour. No awareness of danger and attempts now being made to upgrade his bedroom for his adult needs, with suitable equipment to withstand his seriously challenging behaviour, while keeping him safe. We agreed to help with funding equipment requested.
13.11.19 We completed a samll grant of £215.88 to fund a light table for a 6 year old with autism, sleep problems, and behavioural difficulties. Since starting to use one at school his focus has improved which has been beneficial to his learning. A similar unit was proposed for home use to build on the advances achieved at school.
09.11.19 We have completed two further grants as early November again becomes very busy:
£1,425.05 for a 3 year old who was born prematurely, and has a diagnosis of Periventricular Leucomalacia, exhibiting as global development delay and limited movement. He has just started to crawl, but can only stand using his standing frame. The proposal was to fund a special exercise trike to help to develop his leg and trunk strength, and improve his coordination, which we agreed to fully fund, the final cost being reduced by our discount structure with the supplier.
£617.00 for a 4 year old with a diagnosis of Downs Syndrome and development delay, and she was born with a heart condition. Her motor skills are delayed and she has problems walking any distance so needs to use a buggy. She is a Looked After Child under the care of her grandparents who have to lift her in/out of her car seat which is also now too small for her. She needed a new larger seat with easier access and we agreed to fully fund.
07.11.19 We have completed four more small grants:
£753.00 for a 13 year old with a diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and two years ago we funded a supine stander for him. He now requires additional parts to enable adjustment for his growth so that the stander can continue to be used. We agreed to fund the extra items needed.
£623.00 for a 2 year old with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia and who required a number of items. He had been supplied with a special buggy by Wheelchair Services but they do not supply the rain/sun covers. A special base was also required to adapt his seating to act as a high chair, holding him securely when at a table. We agreed to approve all three items as the family was already heavily committed in adapting their property for his future needs.
£740.00 for a 4 year old with a diagnosis of Downs Syndrome and development delay, and she was born with a heart condition. Her motor skills are delayed and she has problems walking any distance so needs to use a buggy. A special exercise trike was propose which we agreed to co-fund with her special school. The price was reduced to £1,470.95 with our discount, and the school agreed to fund the balance.
£904.00 for a brother and sister aged 2 and 3 respectively. Both have a diagnosis of complex and emerging development needs, and neither is currently walking. This results in the need to be transported everywhere in a buggy, and as the children are growing, a suitable special needs twin buggy was required, which we agreed to fully fund.
02.11.19 We completed a grant of £617.00 for a special car seat for a 3 year old with severe autism problems. With no sense of danger she had started releasing herself from her car seat, presenting a hazard to the driver. We agreed to fully fund a new seat and harness system to hold her safely and securely. The final cost paid reflected our discount agreement, with a saving of £48.00 on the original quote.
29.10.19 We have completed two further grants for Kaye Walkers:
£561.85 for a 3 year old with a diagnosis of Cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia, and after weekly therapy he is starting to walk, using a Kaye walker. We were asked to fund a second unit for home use, as transport of his existing unit is difficult, and it is important to capitalise on the progress he is starting to make, so we agreed to fully fund.
£473.35 for a 7 year old with a diagnosis of Asymmetric Quadriparesis (cerebral palsy), and while using a wheelchair for much of the time, she is encouraged to use a walker whenever possible. Her unit at school is too large to transport and she has outgrown her existing unit at home. Without constant use her condition will deteriorate, so we agreed to provide the balance of funding needed by the family to enable a new walker to be purchased.
23.10.19 We completed a grant of £900.00 for a 12 year old we have helped on a number of occasions. She has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, microcephaly and development delay. We have previously helped on several occesions including part funding an exercise machine to help her leg muscles. She has now outgrown this and needs a larger unit which will suit her into adulthood. We again agreed to part fund the request to assist the family with their applications to other charities, having already established some funding from us.
26.10.19 We have completed two more small grants:
£900.00 for a 12 year old with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, microcephaly and development delay. We have previously helped on several occesions including part funding an exercise machine to help her leg muscles. She has now outgrown this and needs a larger unit which will suit her into adulthood. We again agreed to part fund the request to assist the family with their applications to other charities for the balance of funding needed.
£561.85 for a 3 year old with a diagnosis of Cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia. After weekly therapy he is starting to walk, using a Kaye walker, and we were asked to fund a second unit for home use, as transport of his existing unit is difficult, and it is important to capitalise on the progress he is starting to make, so we agreed to fully fund.
11.10.19 We completed a grant of £1,688.13 for a 4.5 year old with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, significant global development delay and epilepsy, and is peg fed. He has mobility problems and is unable to sit upright unaided. He has a Triton chair which provides the support required to hold him securely at a table, but it is not very comfortable, and a request was submitted to fund a Ppod Bean seat with straps to hold him securely and in comfort. This could also be wheeled around in the house which is another advantage. With both parents acting as carers as they have two children with disabilities, we were asked if we could provide the required funding, which we agreed to do.
04.10.19 We completed a grant of £529.68 for an 8.5 year old with a diagnosis of severe autism, unpredictable behaviour and he exhibits Pica Syndrome. We funded a special car seat in March 2015, but he now releases himself periodically, and requires a secure harness to hold him safely and comfortably. The proposal was for a magnetic harness, which we agreed to fully fund.
03.10.19 Two further grants completed so far this week.
£5,778.27 for a 19 year old who sustained a brain injury at the age of 13 years, and spent 3 months in a coma, 6 months in rehabilitation, and left with some limited mobility and poor balance, he is a full time wheelchair user. Both he and his physiotherapist are keen for him to exercise to maintain his fitness, as he has a long term condition. He was a keen cyclist, but with weak legs and poor balance, he requires an electrically assisted special trike to enable him to exercise regularly. In view of the cost this was co-funded, with another local charity – Friends of Alfie Johnson – who provided £2,500.00, and the Chris Westwood Charity provided the balance needed of £3,278.27, after our discount arrangement with Quest88. A single combined payment was made to simplify the purchase.
£1,795.00 for a 7 year old with muscular dystrophy, who exhibits behavioural and learning difficulties and has bowel problems. Although mobile, he fatigues quickly and uses a wheelchair regularly. His current wheelchair weighs 20 kg, which is too heavy for him to self propel, and he has difficulty turning it, meaning that he needs adult assistance when using it. This is a progressive condition and long term he will require a powered wheelchair, but that will present problems loading/unloading into transport, requiring significant changes. The proposal was to fund a lightweight wheelcahir (8 kg) which will be easy for him to handle, and also for his carers to use, as well as easy to load/unload into transport. With the Boparan Charity funding £2,000.00, we agreed to fund the balance needed.
News about the Charity:
With completion of the 11th Grant in 2019 we reached the major milestone of £750,000 raised and granted without taking a single penny from the Charity in administration costs. Everything donated was used for the benefit of the children. This has occurred only two years (almost to the day) from completion of the previous milestone of £500,000 raised and granted. While we hope to target our next big milestone by 2021, we are increasingly limited by the funding we can raise, and , as usual, we shall need the wonderful help we receive from our supporters.
We never anticipated the rate of growth we have seen, or the amount already granted when we started. Sadly this clearly highlights how serious the problems are in this area and how much help is needed.
Donations:
There are full details on our Donation Page of the various methods of making a donation to us, as well as the Everyclick Donation button (centre of the Donation Page), which allows an online donation to be made quickly by Credit or Debit card.
Current and Future Events in 2019:
We started the year with a collection of £720.00 from an 80th Birthday Party, held at Stourbridge Rugby Club. A very kind and useful donation which will be a great help. The St Thomas's Church Xmas Tree Collection has also provided a further useful boost of £250.00. We also received the second of a three year support package from the Barbara Ward Foundation, with another £5,000.00 added to our reserves.
2019 has seen an exceptionally busy start to the year, and with reserves depleted, a short respite to give us time to catch up with our fundraising would be appreciated. Sadly, with the demand that we see, this is unlikely to happen, and 2019 will yet again be a challenge.
As a help towards that funding challenge, local nPower Office staff collected £500.00 for us, which has been matched by the company. Apparently, we helped a child at the start of the year who is related to a member of staff, and they very kindly decided to organise a collection for us. The funding was much needed and has already helped with the latest grant. So thank you again nPower.
Newfields Masonic Old Halesowians Lodge raised £232.00 at a table collection in May and in June we received £1,000.00 from the We are all Making a Difference Charity. Although we are having to operate a short (hopefully) waiting list, these donations , plus other regular income, have allowed us to continue to approve some requests for help.
Stourbridge Motorcycle Club held their Annual Event on July 13th, and we were one of the two designated charities to receive a share of the funds raised, so a big thank you to them, and we were pleased to receive a final total of £510.00.
We were again invited to the Butterfly Fellowship 2012 Group in early September as they had kindly collected for us once more, and we received a cheque for £1,000.00, which was very much appreciated. as we were in the process of completing a number of grants.
We were invited to seak at the Stourbridge Rotary lunch meeting to update members about the work of the Charity. They had managed to obtain a grant of £500.00 from the Rotary District, which then then matched, to give us a further £1,000.00 towards our work.
The Dudley News are holding their Forging a Future Awards on November 28th, and we have been selected as the nominated charity. We have supplied the details requested, as well as 250 donation envelopes for distribution on the tables at the event. We look forward to raising some useful funding from this very generous offer by the Dudley News, as well as the opportunity to raise the profile of the Charity.
The year end will see the completion of the two year term of office of the Gentleman Captain (Stourbridge Golf Club) - Dave Fourness - who very kindly nominated us as one of the two selected charities during his captaincy. We should then receive our share of the funding raised at the start of 2020, which will be a great help in the New Year.
We were invited to attend a Kinver Rotary Club event at Stourbridge Old Edwardian Club on Friday 8th November, and speak about the work of the Charity, where we then received a cheque for £500.00. We currently have an invite to the Netherton Wives Club who have again very kindly collected for us throughout the year, in mid November, and speak about the work of the Charity.
The Greenfield Singers kindly held a collection for us at a recent event and we have received a cheque for £200.00 which was most welcome. My Cause UK has also contacted us and we have been informed that a supporter has raised £75.00 for us which will shortly be transferred to our account. We do not know who has helped us, but may we extend our thanks.
We were invited to speak at the Netherton Methodist Wives Group on Thursday 21st November, where they kindly presented us with a cheque for £1,000.00 from collections made during the yera. This was particularly welcome as we have been very busy during November and the funds will be quickly used.
Once again we received significant help from the Robert McAlpine Foundation which really helps us to continue our work, and we are very grateful for their support.
All of these events and donations help to keep much needed funding coming in.
News of Recent Grants Made:
17.01.20 We completed a grant of £1,435.50 to provide the balance of funding required for a special car seat for an 8 year old witha diagnosis of Micro Syndrome, which presents with a range of problems including hip displacement and discrepancies in limb length. Having outgrown her existing car seat she required a new seat capable of providing the special support required, as she has poor head and trunk control in addition to her special seating needs. Following a detailed assessment, a suitable seat was specified by our regular supplier with whom we have a discount structure. With the family having already raised some funding, we agreed to grant the balance required for the purchase to proceed.
08.01.20 The first grant of the New Year was completed. He has a diagnosis of Spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and is non-verbal. He has been provided with communication software for an iPad by the ACT Centre in Birmingham, but he uses a wheelchair and needs a tray to support the equipment when in use. Wheelchair Services will not support the extra cost, so we agreed to fully fund.
22.12.19 We have completed one more small grant for £516.00 for a 6 month old child with a diagnosis of Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKD) and who is unable to position or support herself independently. Her Paediatric Physiotherapist proposed an Early Activity System from James Leckey Design Ltd. to hold her securely and provide the support she needed. We agreed to fully fund.
13.12.19 We have completed four further grants in the last week:
£1,431.00 for a young lady born with a congenital right hemiplegia, and who exhibited with epilepsy, development delay and a weak right arm and leg. She was independently mobile but had reduced movement and needed to use her right arm more. Her Paediatric Physiotherapist had proposed a special exercise trike to build muscle strength, encourage equal use of both arms and to improve her co-ordination. We were asked if we could fully fund the trike specified, to which we agreed.
£315.00 for a 1.8 year old with a diagnosis of quadriplegic cerebral palsy, and has limited head and trunk control. She was unable to use a standard bath seat safely, but a Firefly Splashy was found to suit her needs. With no funding available for this equipment we were asked if we could help and we agreed to fully fund.
£2,251.51 for an 18 year old with a range of problems including cerebral palsy, severe scoliosis, and learning difficulties. We had helped in 2016 with some braking components for her wheelchair, and we were again asked if we could help. She uses a moulded seat wheelchair to provide the support needed which is not comfortable and causes pressure points. The proposal was for a Ppod bean seat to provide comfortable secure seating when she does not need the wheelchair, which we agreed to fully fund.
£2,001.20 for a 9 year old who has problems with motor control of all of his limbs, global development delay and severe learning difficulties. We helped previously in 2013 with funding for a walker, and although he has some independent mobility, he still requires use of a walker. Having now outgrown the previous unit we were asked for help in funding a replacement. We agreed to provide the balance required.
08.12.19 We completed another grant, this time for £1,431.00 for a young lady whio was born with a congenital right hemiplegia, and exhibitred with epilepsy, development delay and a weak right arm and leg. She was independently mobile but had reduced movement and needed to use her right arm more. Her Paediatric Physiotherapist had proposed a special exercise trike to build muscle strength, encourage equal use of both arms and to improve her co-ordination. We were asked if we could fully fund the trike specified, to which we agreed.
05.12.19 We have completed three further grants during the week:
£395.00 for a child approaching 2 years old with a diagnosis of Spina Bifida, and is currently only able to crawl slowly. Her Paediatric Occupational Therapist proposed a Leckey Scoot unit to give her independent mobility in a safe stable seating position, and give her good experience until she is big enough to use a wheelchair. We agreed to help and fully fund the equipment.
£620.00 for an 11 year old who has been severley sight impaired since birth with a range of problems. He uses a Perkins Brailler at school and his parents are keen for him to use a Brailler at home. He had a lightweight unit which had become beyond repair, and we were asked if we could help with the purchase of a new unit, similar to the one he uses at school. We agreed to fully fund.
£1,453.95 for a 4.5 year old who is currently undergoing screening to determine a full diagnosis. She exhibits with dysmorphic features, global development delay, gross and fine motor skills delay, hearing and sight impairment, and can only walk short distances as she has skeletal deformities. Her Paediatric Physiotherapist proposed a special exercise trike to improve her general condition, co-ordination, and build up her leg strength. In view of the family circumstances we agreed to fully fund.
30.11.19 We have completed a grant of £689.13 for a 20 year old with Fragile X Syndrome, severe learning difficulties, behavioural problems and a diagnosis of autism. Use a Safespaces safety sleeper but his mattress had worn out and was no longer providing the support needed. With a family relation contributing £200.00, we agreed to fund the balance required.
23.11.19 Another busy week where we have completed 4 more applications:
£415.00 for a six year old with a diagnosis of Downs Syndrome and other medical problems. He was able to release himself from his car seat during transport and a new seating system was required with a more secure magnetic lock harness to hold him safely and securely. With the family in a position to co-fund, and the cost reduced to £828.57 with our discount, we agreed to fund the £415.00 needed.
£1,064.95 for a 10 year old with a diagnosis of microcephaly, which exhibits as development delay. A special exercise trike was proposed to help to develop her co-ordination and motor skills, and improve her general fitness. With the family having raised some funding, we agreed to provide the balance required for the purchase to proceed.
£449.00 for a 9 year old with visual impairment which can not be corrected by his glasses as a result of a number of conditions. He is now having problems accessing reading text, and Dudley Vision Impairment Service have recommended an iPad for use at both school and at home. With no school budget available, we were asked if we could fund this equipment, which we agreed to do.
£2,449.56 for a 17 year old with learning difficulties, epilepsy, a diagnosis of autism and suffers frequent painful subluxations (partial dislocations) of her knee caps. Her Paediatric Physiotherapist recommended a special exercise trike to help with her exercises to try to build leg muscle strength to resolve the painful dislocation problem. With the family able to raise £250.00 towards the cost, we agreed to fund the balance after our agreed discount with the supplier, reduced in this case as only part of the cost was VAT exempt for this model trike.
16.11.19 We have completed two more applications as the usual Q4 surge in demand continues.
£2,333.09 for a 13 year old with a diagnosis of Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 3 (a brittle bone condition leading to regular fractures),together with other medical and development problems. The proposal was to purchase a special exercise trike to try to develop her leg strength and improve her general health. With the family having raised a small amount, we agreed to fund the balance, the final cost being reduced by £1,105.97 due to the claim for VAT exemption and our discount agreement with the supplier.
£462.00 for a 17 year old with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, severe learning disability and severe challenging behaviour. No awareness of danger and attempts now being made to upgrade his bedroom for his adult needs, with suitable equipment to withstand his seriously challenging behaviour, while keeping him safe. We agreed to help with funding equipment requested.
13.11.19 We completed a samll grant of £215.88 to fund a light table for a 6 year old with autism, sleep problems, and behavioural difficulties. Since starting to use one at school his focus has improved which has been beneficial to his learning. A similar unit was proposed for home use to build on the advances achieved at school.
09.11.19 We have completed two further grants as early November again becomes very busy:
£1,425.05 for a 3 year old who was born prematurely, and has a diagnosis of Periventricular Leucomalacia, exhibiting as global development delay and limited movement. He has just started to crawl, but can only stand using his standing frame. The proposal was to fund a special exercise trike to help to develop his leg and trunk strength, and improve his coordination, which we agreed to fully fund, the final cost being reduced by our discount structure with the supplier.
£617.00 for a 4 year old with a diagnosis of Downs Syndrome and development delay, and she was born with a heart condition. Her motor skills are delayed and she has problems walking any distance so needs to use a buggy. She is a Looked After Child under the care of her grandparents who have to lift her in/out of her car seat which is also now too small for her. She needed a new larger seat with easier access and we agreed to fully fund.
07.11.19 We have completed four more small grants:
£753.00 for a 13 year old with a diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and two years ago we funded a supine stander for him. He now requires additional parts to enable adjustment for his growth so that the stander can continue to be used. We agreed to fund the extra items needed.
£623.00 for a 2 year old with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia and who required a number of items. He had been supplied with a special buggy by Wheelchair Services but they do not supply the rain/sun covers. A special base was also required to adapt his seating to act as a high chair, holding him securely when at a table. We agreed to approve all three items as the family was already heavily committed in adapting their property for his future needs.
£740.00 for a 4 year old with a diagnosis of Downs Syndrome and development delay, and she was born with a heart condition. Her motor skills are delayed and she has problems walking any distance so needs to use a buggy. A special exercise trike was propose which we agreed to co-fund with her special school. The price was reduced to £1,470.95 with our discount, and the school agreed to fund the balance.
£904.00 for a brother and sister aged 2 and 3 respectively. Both have a diagnosis of complex and emerging development needs, and neither is currently walking. This results in the need to be transported everywhere in a buggy, and as the children are growing, a suitable special needs twin buggy was required, which we agreed to fully fund.
02.11.19 We completed a grant of £617.00 for a special car seat for a 3 year old with severe autism problems. With no sense of danger she had started releasing herself from her car seat, presenting a hazard to the driver. We agreed to fully fund a new seat and harness system to hold her safely and securely. The final cost paid reflected our discount agreement, with a saving of £48.00 on the original quote.
29.10.19 We have completed two further grants for Kaye Walkers:
£561.85 for a 3 year old with a diagnosis of Cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia, and after weekly therapy he is starting to walk, using a Kaye walker. We were asked to fund a second unit for home use, as transport of his existing unit is difficult, and it is important to capitalise on the progress he is starting to make, so we agreed to fully fund.
£473.35 for a 7 year old with a diagnosis of Asymmetric Quadriparesis (cerebral palsy), and while using a wheelchair for much of the time, she is encouraged to use a walker whenever possible. Her unit at school is too large to transport and she has outgrown her existing unit at home. Without constant use her condition will deteriorate, so we agreed to provide the balance of funding needed by the family to enable a new walker to be purchased.
23.10.19 We completed a grant of £900.00 for a 12 year old we have helped on a number of occasions. She has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, microcephaly and development delay. We have previously helped on several occesions including part funding an exercise machine to help her leg muscles. She has now outgrown this and needs a larger unit which will suit her into adulthood. We again agreed to part fund the request to assist the family with their applications to other charities, having already established some funding from us.
26.10.19 We have completed two more small grants:
£900.00 for a 12 year old with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, microcephaly and development delay. We have previously helped on several occesions including part funding an exercise machine to help her leg muscles. She has now outgrown this and needs a larger unit which will suit her into adulthood. We again agreed to part fund the request to assist the family with their applications to other charities for the balance of funding needed.
£561.85 for a 3 year old with a diagnosis of Cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia. After weekly therapy he is starting to walk, using a Kaye walker, and we were asked to fund a second unit for home use, as transport of his existing unit is difficult, and it is important to capitalise on the progress he is starting to make, so we agreed to fully fund.
11.10.19 We completed a grant of £1,688.13 for a 4.5 year old with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, significant global development delay and epilepsy, and is peg fed. He has mobility problems and is unable to sit upright unaided. He has a Triton chair which provides the support required to hold him securely at a table, but it is not very comfortable, and a request was submitted to fund a Ppod Bean seat with straps to hold him securely and in comfort. This could also be wheeled around in the house which is another advantage. With both parents acting as carers as they have two children with disabilities, we were asked if we could provide the required funding, which we agreed to do.
04.10.19 We completed a grant of £529.68 for an 8.5 year old with a diagnosis of severe autism, unpredictable behaviour and he exhibits Pica Syndrome. We funded a special car seat in March 2015, but he now releases himself periodically, and requires a secure harness to hold him safely and comfortably. The proposal was for a magnetic harness, which we agreed to fully fund.
03.10.19 Two further grants completed so far this week.
£5,778.27 for a 19 year old who sustained a brain injury at the age of 13 years, and spent 3 months in a coma, 6 months in rehabilitation, and left with some limited mobility and poor balance, he is a full time wheelchair user. Both he and his physiotherapist are keen for him to exercise to maintain his fitness, as he has a long term condition. He was a keen cyclist, but with weak legs and poor balance, he requires an electrically assisted special trike to enable him to exercise regularly. In view of the cost this was co-funded, with another local charity – Friends of Alfie Johnson – who provided £2,500.00, and the Chris Westwood Charity provided the balance needed of £3,278.27, after our discount arrangement with Quest88. A single combined payment was made to simplify the purchase.
£1,795.00 for a 7 year old with muscular dystrophy, who exhibits behavioural and learning difficulties and has bowel problems. Although mobile, he fatigues quickly and uses a wheelchair regularly. His current wheelchair weighs 20 kg, which is too heavy for him to self propel, and he has difficulty turning it, meaning that he needs adult assistance when using it. This is a progressive condition and long term he will require a powered wheelchair, but that will present problems loading/unloading into transport, requiring significant changes. The proposal was to fund a lightweight wheelcahir (8 kg) which will be easy for him to handle, and also for his carers to use, as well as easy to load/unload into transport. With the Boparan Charity funding £2,000.00, we agreed to fund the balance needed.