Can you help 15-year-old Nathan Large, from Blackpool in Lancashire, once again do the things he enjoys? Like going to the park to feed the ducks or taking his dog Kacey out for a walk.

Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children is appealing to local heroes to help give Nathan a special manual wheelchair that will improve his quality of life. Local wheelchair services were able to put £620 towards the equipment, which costs £2,737.50, leaving a remaining amount of £2,117.50 – which is why Newlife needs your help!

Nathan has Cerebral Palsy and is a fulltime wheelchair user, however he has outgrown his current wheelchair and is no longer able to do simple things that many of us take for granted – like popping to the shops with mum Claire Large.

Nathan’s condition has resulted in him having little use of his left arm and hand. His left leg is very weak and is 4.5cms shorter than his right leg. He is also partially blind and has poorly controlled epilepsy.

Nathan needs a wheelchair as he has very little balance and can only walk for short distances when he is supported.

Mum Claire says: “Nathan enjoys being outdoors, he likes going for walks on the promenade where we watch the trams and the roller coasters at the pleasure beach. He also loves playing with our dog Kacey and throwing balls for her.”

If you would like to support Nathan in getting his equipment, go to: www.newlifecharity.co.uk/Lancashire and click on the Donate button next to his story.

“Without a wheelchair that meets his needs we are unable to do these things anymore. Because he has poor mobility he cannot go out without his wheelchair and soon he will become virtually housebound,” added Claire.

As wheelchair services are unable to fully fund the equipment, Claire turned to Newlife, UK’s largest charitable provider of essential equipment to meet the specialist needs of children with disabilities and terminal illness.

Claire says: “With a new wheelchair we would be able to do lots of activities together as a family, particularly the ones mentioned above. Not only that but also general things like going shopping, seeing friends and Nathan would eb able to go on trips with school. Without a wheelchair Nathan will miss out on so much.”

Any funds raised above what is needed for Nathan will help pay for equipment for one of the other 23 children in who need help in Lancashire, where Newlife has already supported 452 children with equipment totalling £540,089.

Newlife is currently receiving more applications for help than at any time in its 25-year history. Which is why public support is needed to support families caring for disabled and terminally ill children in Lancashire.

The charity operates its own successful recycling and retail business, working with leading manufacturers and high street retailers, to fund core equipment provision services – but statutory service budget cuts have left families increasingly reliant on charitable support.

With no-where else to turn, over the past five years there has been a 64 per cent increase in applications to Newlife – and we have responded with a 45 per cent jump in spending.

Newlife’s Consultant Nurse Karen Dobson said: “To meet current applications for vital specialist equipment, Newlife needs more than £8,000 a day – every day. With continued budget cuts in the statutory sector and an increasing number of children with disabilities, we are aware that without public support Newlife will not be able to assist all those families who look to us for essential help. While medical expertise continues to save children’s lives, we require help to support families’ daily equipment needs. Families like yours and mine.”

The website includes contact details for the Newlife County Liaison Team – tel no 01543 431 444 or email local@newlifecharity.co.uk – and shows specific ways people can help support children with disability and terminal illness and their families in the county.

Pictured: Nathan Large

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