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Presentation to Our Kids Eyes, Manchester . We donated £1,000 to pay
for a group of 20 disabled youngsters to have a day out at Hollowford Adventure
Centre where they enjoyed canoeing, climbing orienteering etc.
This is Eliza Hacket aged 5yrs. Eliza has Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy,
and we were approached by her mum Roz and asked if we could donate towards
the cost of a specially adapted tricycle to allow Eliza to play with her friends
and family. We have boueht Eliza the trike and her mother says ‘It has
given her a new lease of life” The trike helps to increase Eliza’
s muscle strength and enables her to play happily with her friends.
Steven was diagnosed with Sanfihlipo Syndrome at the age of six and doctors predicted he would only live until his early teens; Steven is now I6 yrs old.
Sanfihlipo is a degenerative brain disease which takes its name from one of the first doctors to discover the condition in 1963.
Sanfallipo is a mucopolysaccharides disease and is known as MPS ill. There is a continuous process in the body of replacing used materials and breaking them down for disposal and children with MPS Ill are missing an enzyme which enables the body to do this. The incomplete mucopolysaccharides remain stored in the cells in the body causing progressive damage. Babies and small children show little signs of this disease, but, as more and more cells become damaged symptoms begin to appear.
At present there is no cure for the disease, though various experimental methods have been used to try and replace the missing enzyme, so far without success.
We were originally contacted by Stevens family who requested our help in fundraising to repair his special spa bath, but because of the kindness of local people the family were able to have this done. It was therefore decided at our Trustees meeting that the money raised for Steven would now be spent on a special walk in bath which would benefit him greatly.
Luke was born with a cyst on his brain and has undergone extensive brain surgery.
Luke’s mum requested a tricycle for him, which would help him to develop
his strength, and co ordination skills, which were affected by the operation.
Luke regularly goes to the park now with his family and they say it has helped
his strength and co ordination greatly. Luke’s mum says “thank
you for the trike it’s truly amazing! ”We hope Luke enjoys being
able now to play with his friends.
One of the aims of The Phoenix Children’s Foundation is to provide children with special needs and children with terminal illnesses the opportunity to enjoy day trips away from their own environment.
One of the ways we can do this is to give them the experience of water travel. They can enjoy a leisurely trip on either one of Leicestershire or Lancashire’s canal routes. The children are able to experience the lovely surroundings and see nature on both the water and the canal paths. They will also be given the opportunity to see the crew at work on the boat and on the opening of the canal locks.
This is where The Baldwin Trust and The Huddersfield Canal Society can provide us with the ability to do this. Like us they are small registered charities working for their local communities, and they rely upon local groups and organizations to use their facilities, and of course on organizations such as ourselves to fund these trips. Of course public donations are appreciated greatly. We hope that by using their services we will be supporting these worthy charities.
The Baldwin Trust has two boats presently, both catering for groups of 12 passengers. They are fitted with passenger lifts and have wheelchair access. Limited space allows for 4 passengers to remain in wheelchairs on both boats. There are toilets for the disabled and fully equipped galleys to enable groups the option of mooring up for a picnic, lunch aboard the boat (self catering) or taking refreshments at a waterside hostelry. (photo nwither0002
The Huddersfield Canal Society at present has just one fully adapted boat
but it can carry up to 47 passengers. The boat is fitted with a wheelchair
lift and caters for wheelchair users and their carers. The Boat is owned by
Tameside Canal boat Trust and crewed by volunteers from the Huddersfield Canal
Society Boat Crew.
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The Phoenix Childrens Foundation.
Unit 1, The Springboard Center, Mantle Lane, Coalville, , Leicestershire. LE67 3DW. Call us on: 01530 839531 Mon – Fri, 9am – 5pm - or leave a message if outside these hours. Fax / Alternative Line: 01530 814633. Web design: bespokeweb4u.com