Ten-year-old Dillan Skinner from Bainsford in Falkirk, will soon be sleeping is safety, thanks to a specialist bed donated by Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children.
A partnership between Newlife Foundation and Marks & Spencer has provided £6,080 for the bed.
Dillan has Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, learning difficulties and is visually impaired. He needs constant supervision, including at night. Currently, Dillan sleeps in a standard hospital bed, but he is at risk of falling out and hurting himself.
Mum Lindsay Brown said: “Dillan has no sense of danger and we often find him dangling over the side of the bed – he is ‘Spaghetti Man’ and moves around a lot despite his condition. He hasn’t fallen yet, but as he gets older and bigger the risk is greater.”
With no funding available from local statutory services for a specialist high sided and padded bed, Lindsay turned to Newlife.
Lindsay added: “Dillan hates being in his wheelchair because it restricts his movement, so when he comes home from school he likes to go into his bed while I get dinner organised. He smiles and giggles when he is in bed because he likes to roll around. Having a special high sided bed with lots of padding will help both of us – Dillan will be safer and I can stop worrying about him so much.”
M&S has worked in partnership with Newlife Foundation for the last eleven years, donating returned products to the charity to be resold or recycled. The majority of the donated products are sold in the Newlife SuperStore in Cannock and the charity recycles the remaining items, all to raise money for children with disabilities. In October 2010, M&S launched a grants scheme, which has specifically helped fund more than 200 pieces of essential equipment, totalling in excess of £600,000 for children with disabilities and terminal illness across the UK.
Sheila Brown OBE, chief executive of Newlife Foundation, added: “Our partnership with M&S benefits hundreds of children and their families. It is very encouraging to see the efforts of M&S in helping to improve the lives of disabled and terminally ill children within the local community and across the UK. Equipment that costs hundreds to several thousands of pounds really can transform lives. We are very grateful to everyone involved and would encourage other groups and individuals to keep fundraising to help us make a difference.”
Newlife is the UK’s largest charity provider of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness and works closely with families to provide a range of services.
Pictured: Dillan Skinner
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