A Nottinghamshire family are getting a helping hand to travel in safety – thanks to the charity partnership between Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children and the Midlands Co-operative Society.
Six-year-old Harvey Levy, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, has Epilepsy, Global Developmental Delay and learning difficulties, which means he needs supervision at all times. Car journeys had become ‘a nightmare’ for the family, said mum Nyssa Levy, because standard car seats can’t keep Harvey – and other passengers – safe.
Nyssa said: “Harvey is very strong and he pulls regular car seats out of place and can work his way free from the harness. With his brother and sister on the back seat of the car with him, this causes no end of problems. I try to avoid going out in the car with Harvey and we certainly don’t travel long distances; it is just a nightmare.”
The family applied to national children’s disability charity Newlife Foundation for help with funding a specialist car seat – at a cost of £682 – and provision is being supported by the fabulous fundraising activities of Midlands Co-operative colleagues across the Midlands.
Nyssa said: “We have been able to trial this model of car seat and the special five-point harness kept him secure. I can’t wait to get our own so we can take the whole family out and about more.”
Newlife Foundation has been the Midlands Co-operative’s staff-elected charity since May 2012; more than £300,000 has so far been raised specifically to provide specialist equipment for disabled and terminally ill children in the Society’s trading area. Items funded to date – for more than 150 children – range from powered and manual wheelchairs to specialist beds and communication aids.
Melloney Sinnott, manager of Midlands Co-operative Fuel Station on Huthwaite Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, said: “As a regional retailer we always ensure that our staff-elected charity supports people in need in our trading area. We are delighted to have been able to help Harvey and his family in this way. We have just opened another new food store in Kirkby-in-Ashfield which should ensure that we can support even more children in the Nottinghamshire area.”
Pictured: Harvey Levy
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