We are finding out that being disabled or having disabled children is very expensive! Although it goes against the grain, we have accepted some offers from our lovely friends who wish to fund raise for us. We have a number of major projects coming up, and it is intended to apply any funds raised to the following:
| Project | Description | Cost estimate |
| Wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) | A vehicle, probably a VW Caravelle, with a wheelchair lift and sufficient space to carry our family plus one carer and all extra equipment needed when Morgan is on his travels. | See notes below |
| Remake drive | The drive at our house is in a bad state of repair. This makes it difficult to push Morgan's wheelchair. Additionally we need an extra (wide) parking space for the WAV. We'd also like to add some kind of handrail by the front door, to help increase James' independence. | £8,000 (it's a long drive!) |
| Disabled adaptations | We need to make various changes to our house, including a downstairs bathroom (which will necessitate refitting the kitchen), a downstairs bedroom, ceiling hoists and widening various doorways. We are eligible for a grant, but this will not cover the full cost of the works. | £10,000 (very rough estimate) |
Please contact us for details of the fund raising activities people are undertaking and for information about how you can help.
UPDATES
We have now bought a Caravelle (on 3 January 2009) at a cost of £4,500 - bargain! It is almost ideal for our requirements but does require some further modification. Additionally, we need a trailer to carry medical equipment, etc. We'd also love to upgrade the sound system - the van currently has no CD player and no rear speakers, and the boys do love their music!
On 14 February 2009, our friends at Northgate Church raised £867 at an extremely profession evening of food and entertainment. Thank you so much to everyone involved.
Our church has kindly agreed to help fund raise on behalf of the boys. Since the church is a registered charity, this means that Gift Aid can be used to increase the value of a UK taxpayer's donation, at no additional cost. If you wish to donate funds in this way, please send cheques made payable to Northgate Church Trust to:
Northgate Church Offices
First Floor
Loves of Chester
Garden Lane
Chester CH1 4EU
Nothgate Church Trust is a UK registered charity, number 518346.
For our international friends, probably the easiest way to donate is through PayPal. Note that PayPal fees will inevitably reduce the value of any donation made this way, so we only suggest using PayPal where there is no better alternative. Enter the amount to donate (in pounds sterling) and click the button:I'll try and keep this as up to date as possible. This is a list of the funds raised for the boys and how we've used tham so far.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Valentines Food & Entertainment Evening 2009 | £867.77 |
| Body Shop parties 2009 | £614.00 |
| Other gifts | £205.00 |
| total | £1,561.77 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Wheelchair and passenger restraint system | £322.78 |
| Cost of fitting the above | £60.00 |
| Rear speakers for the van | £60.00 |
| Detachable towbar (for a trailer for all the equipment we need when we go on holiday) | £376.05 |
| Stereo system and aerial | £249.98 |
| balance | £617.96 |