Four-year-old Henry from Southampton is no longer housebound thanks to Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children who have given him a specialist buggy.

For Henry the world is an overwhelming place – loud noises, bright lights, big crowds and busy roads are too much for him to cope with. He gets very agitated and instinctively either runs away or freezes on the spot.

His parents, Samantha and Dale, are desperate to keep their son safe and have spent thousands on pushchairs so Henry can leave the house and go to pre-school where he receives regular therapy. Being in a pushchair not only keeps Henry physically safe, but also allows him to feel emotionally secure, reducing the likelihood of a meltdown.

When Henry outgrew his third pushchair, his parents were beside themselves. Henry had to have a pushchair – without it he’d be housebound – and the only one that would fit him was a specialist pushchair that came with a very specialist price tag.

The couple considered taking out a loan in order to get Henry the equipment he needed, but fortunately they were pointed in the direction of Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children, who was able to provide Henry with the specialist pushchair he needed within a week.

Mum, Samantha, said: “We were so worried when Henry outgrew his last pushchair, we didn’t know where to turn. We’d already had to cope with the judgmental looks from people when we were out with him in a buggy that was clearly far too small for him – people just presume that he was naughty. But without it we were utterly lost.

“The Newlife nurse we spoke to was wonderful and within a week we had gone from being sick with worry and stress, to having a buggy delivered to our doorstep that will easily last Henry until he’s seven-years-old. Now we can go out as a family and Henry is safe from harm and feels secure – it’s such a relief.”

Newlife’s Head of Charity Operations, Stephen Morgan says: It’s great that we could help Henry – his parents really were at a loss as to what to do next. It’s heart-breaking to think that Henry would have been trapped at home without the buggy to keep him safe.