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FUNDRAISING DUO ARE SUPPORTING STANLEY

Fundraising duo Elly Hance and Rosemary Skinner are burning with ideas to help two-year-old Stanley Leaver get the equipment he needs so he can sit comfortably at home in Flackwell Heath near High Wycombe.

Stanley has a condition that affects his muscles and means he is unable to move independently. He needs specialist supportive, comfortable seating so he doesn’t have to spend hours lying on the floor. Now Elly and Rosemary are backing an appeal by Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children to help make this happen.

The pair – who recently received a volunteering award from Newlife for their work in helping to raise almost £11,000 for equipment for 11 children in Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire – now have their fundraising sights set on Stanley.

Elly and Rosemary are both members of Deanshanger Holy Trinity Church, just over the border in Northamptonshire, and have inspired the congregation to follow in their footsteps and support Newlife. The duo’s varied and creative fundraising ideas range from pyrography – the art of burning pictures into wood – and creating wooden ‘fairy doors’ to making jewellery and greetings cards.

Local statutory services have provided Stanley with a functional seat to use at home, but it isn’t comfortable enough for him to sit in for more than half an hour at a time. Mum Shailza said: “It’s not something he can relax in, which is why we put him on the floor, propped up with cushions.”

As he can’t control his own body movements, it would be too dangerous for Stanley to sit on the family sofa because he could easily slide off.

Shailza added: “If Stanley could have his own P-Pod he would not only be more comfortable but could sit at the same level as everyone else so he could be more involved with family life.”

With a pledge of £100 towards the seating, the family turned to Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children for help. Newlife – the UK’s leading charity provider of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness – has helped 189 children in Buckinghamshire, with equipment totalling £238,001.

The seating he needs costs £1,447. If you would like to support Stanley in getting his equipment, go to www.newlifecharity.co.uk/buckinghamshire and click on the Donate button next to his story.

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. One hundred per cent of all fundraising/donations in Buckinghamshire will go directly towards providing equipment; nothing is taken out for administration.

Any funds raised above what is needed for Stanley will help pay for equipment for another child in Buckinghamshire.

Pictured: Stanley Leaver

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