Specialist equipment means young Ethan Maurer can join his family in the countryside.

Seven-year-old Ethan, from Glasgow, has Pitt Hopkins Syndrome – a condition that affects his mobility and development. He relies on a wheelchair to get around, but this equipment can’t cope with the local terrain where his family like to walk and run. A specialist all-terrain buggy, provided by Newlife, the Charity for Disabled Children, with River Island bag levy funding, now means he can join his parents and five-year-old sister Emily out on the hillsides.

Mum Fiona said: “We had a standard pushchair but Ethan got too big for it and it toppled over a couple of times. Now he can enjoy the countryside from the safety of his buggy. He even joined in a child-friendly three-kilometre run recently, with Emily pushing the buggy some of the way. It means he is really involved in family activities.”

With no funding available from local statutory services, the Maurer family contacted Newlife, the Charity for Disabled Children, for help. River Island bag levy funding has enabled Newlife to provide the £2,403 equipment.

Newlife CEO Sheila Brown, OBE, added: “As local authority budget cuts continue to bite, more and more families are turning to charities like Newlife for specialist equipment which can have a significant effect on young lives. Having the national support of River Island is an enormous boost for us.”

Pictured: Ethan with mum Fiona and sister Emily take part in a 3k fun run.

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