As you can see from some of the photo's much of the equipment that we have for Ben is done by fundraising events. These events and the generosity of local people, friends and family have enabled us to by a fantastic Bed for Ben.

This bed is completely profile, meaning that the height can be changed electronically at the touch of a button, the bed can also assis Ben to sit up and the foot end will also elevate although at the moment Ben is too small to have the benefit of this facility. The bed is made of wood and has clear sides so that when Ben is in Bed and the base is at its lowest Ben can still see out without feeling enclosed and due to the height of the sides Ben is completely safe and will not fall out. This Bed will last Ben for many years possibly into adulthood, but certainly as long as Bens needs require him to be able to sleep safely and for us as parents to be able to assist Ben in all aspects of his care.

A big thank you goes to all those who donated money or assisted in raising money for this bed.

The ladies who attend a local WI group held a coffee morning in order to raise money for a special swing seat for Ben. Ben has always enjoyed playing on his swing in the garden, but unfortunately had outgrown his current swing seat which made it imposible for him to use it any more. As with most items of equipment for those with special needs the cost of buying a new swing seat for Ben was expensive. On hearing all about Ben from his Nan who attends the WI group, some of the ladies fely it would be a nice idea to hold a coffee morning for Ben to try to raise some money to buy the new swing seat. Ben and I attended the coffee morning along with Bens Nan, Grandma and Great Grandma, and had a chance to meet the ladies themselves. The weather was great that day so we sat outside, a raffle was also held and enough money was raised to buy the new swing seat. Ben now enjoys playing on his swing as often as the weather will allow.

A big thank thank you to all the ladies from Meavy WI who made this possible. You have made Ben a very happy little boy.

We are now seeking planning permission to build Ben a downstairs bedroom and bathroom as Ben is becoming too heavy for me to carry up the stairs and he is still unable to walk. The extention will be at the back of our house and it will allow Ben direct access to the garden through patio doors. The bedroom will be significantly larger than his present bedroom which will be fantastic as with the arrival of Ben's new bed we found we had very little space to move in his room as the bed is so large. I am also hoping to raise money for some sensory equipment to go in Bens room as he has the use of a sensory room at school and finds it both relaxing and stimulating. I would love ben to be able to have equipment that he can control (whilst supervised) with the use of big switches, as he is very good with the few 'cause and effect' toys that we have.

I am looking at various catalogues to see what is available and so far have been looking in the ROMPA catalogue (www.rompa.com)and the TFH catalogue (www.specialneedstoys.com). If anyone knows any other catalogues please feel free to e-mail me from the link on the home page. Also if anyone has any fundraising ideas I would be pleased to hear from them also.

Over the summer holidays Ben has borrowed a ‘Big Mack’ witch from school like the one that he uses in class. This switch helps Ben to communicate as you can record short messages such as ‘Hello’ and ‘Goodbye’ so that Ben can greet people when they arrive at the house. We also use the swich to make sound effects during stories and songs so that Ben can learn to participate. Unfortunately the switch had to be returned to school at the end of the school holidays. After peaking with Ben’s speech and language therapist we have decided that Ben would benefit from having his own switch at home. These switches cost in excess of £100. Therefore this is my next mission, to provide Ben with a much needed communication aid.

The switch that the speech therapist has sugested has two large coloured buttons wich allows 2 short messages or sounds to be recorded on. The switch is called an ‘italk2 Communicator’ the switch can be viewed at www.liberator.co.uk

I will keep this page updated as and when we have any news.

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