Four-year-old Jacob Grant from Southampton in Hampshire is now able to go out with his family in comfort and safety thanks to Newlife, the Charity for Disabled Children, and his new specialist buggy.
When out and about with children you generally know the signs when they become tired, restless or just bored. Some children can be easily entertained, but for Jacob – who has Autism – it isn’t that simple. He will fall to the floor refusing to walk. This makes simple tasks such as grocery shopping longer because mum Kirsty Grant will have to try and occupy Jacob while out.
Jacob needed a special buggy as he had outgrown his previous one resulting in his legs and feet dragging on the floor.
Newlife provided Jacob with a new pushchair through Newlifeable – www.newlifeable.co.uk – a service which takes redundant disability equipment and recycles and refurbishes it to meet national standards before offering it on a first come, first served basis.
Mum Kirsty said: “When we didn’t have a buggy for Jacob going out could be very difficult. The only time he keeps his attention is when he is strapped into something. He loves being outside but not having the right equipment for him meant that he would fall to the floor when he was tired or not happy. He would lay in the middle of the floor in the supermarket. Not having a buggy would prolong every outing we did.”
With no provision available locally, Jacob’s family turned to Newlife, the UK’s largest charity provider of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness.
“The new buggy is fantastic, it’s higher than standard buggies so Jacob’s feet are raised from the ground. He loves going in it because he knows that it’s time to go out. Jacob can be hyperactive one minute and the next he is not interested in doing anything, now the buggy really helps with this.
“We went to Peppa Pig World a few weeks ago and usually a trip like this would take hours when going from ride to ride but with the buggy it was done in no time,” added Kirsty.
Newlife has funded specialist equipment for 435 children in Hampshire, worth over £600,000. If you think you could help a child in the county, go to www.newlifecharity.co.uk/Hampshire for further details.
If you would like to find out more about Newlife, the Charity for Disabled Children, and how to access its services, call the Newlife Nurse Helpline on 0800 902 0095 (free from UK mobiles and landlines) or go to www.newlifecharity.co.uk. The website also includes contact details for the Newlife County Liaison Team – 01543 431 444 or email local@newlifecharity.co.uk.
Pictured: Jacob Grant
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