A fundraising appeal has been launched to buy a specially adapted bed that will allow a little boy from Brixton to have the perfect night’s sleep.

Eddie Hunt, aged three, is registered blind and also has an undiagnosed condition that has made his muscles weak.

The youngster is unable to sit or stand without support but needs a specialist cot bed to prevent him from falling as he rolls during the night.

Mum Nicola applied to her local authority for a new cot bed because Eddie was waking in the night with his arms and legs trapped in the frame.

However, statutory services refused to fund the £4,029 piece of equipment.

That prompted Mrs Hunt to turn to leading charity Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children for help. Newlife has funded 417 Equipment Grants for children in London, totalling £669,467.

The charity supplied the family with an appropriate bed within 72 hours through its Just Can’t Wait loan service which supports life limited children.

However, a fundraising appeal has now been launched to buy Eddie his own bed that he will be able to keep.

Mrs Hunt said: “Newlife recognised Eddie needed a new bed straight away. They have given us one for six months and now they are fundraising to buy one he can keep.

“Eddie is getting bigger all the time and he simply outgrew his old bed. He would wake with his legs hanging over the edge or stuck through the bars.

“I saw the bed we are borrowing at a trade fair and I knew it was perfect for him. But when I applied to the local authority they said there was no funding available.

“It took Eddie a few nights to settle but now he absolutely loves it. He is really comfortable in it and sleeps much better.”

Mrs Hunt said most families can’t afford to pay for such expensive equipment adding the new bed has even enabled her to enjoy a better night’s sleep.

She said: “It really is very expensive. Most families cannot afford to buy equipment that costs £4,000. Safety has to be the absolute priority. I couldn’t let Eddie be in a bed where he could fall and cause himself serious harm. It’s just not safe for him to be moving around.

“The cot bed has also got us to the point where I too can sleep through the night. Because I was so worried before I was always waking up and checking on him. Even when I was asleep I was still aware. It’s been great for both of us.”

Newlife CEO Sheila Brown, OBE, said: “As cutbacks continue to bite into local authority budgets we can expect to see applications for Newlife equipment services continue to rise.

“However, as a charity we are looking increasingly to ‘local heroes’ to help us help children in individual counties – and Newlife guarantees that 100 per cent of all monies donated or fundraised in London can be ring-fenced to specifically provide equipment for disabled and terminally ill children within the capital.”

If you would like to raise money to help fund a cot bed for Eddie, the Newlife Community Fundraising Team can be contacted on freephone 0800 988 4640. Any individual or organisation thinking of running a fundraising event is asked to contact the team, who can offer support and guidance. Pictured: Eddie Hunt 

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