Fundraising
Fundraising for Ben is going to be an ongoing project, as he will always need equipment/ therapies that are not provided by the NHS. We have a constant list of new things Ben needs or would benefit from.
Update 3/3/2010
It has been a long time since we last updated. Ben is now 5 (nearly 6) and is doing well. He has started primary school and really loves it. He has had a difficult last year with illnesses and operations, but has been very brave.
We have managed to move house to a bungalow – which is fantastic for Ben and our backs! We are hoping to adapt the garden to be wheelchair friendly. Currently it has no paving/ decking etc, so we have to carry Ben out – which is a risk to both Ben and us. The garden is also on a slight slope which does not help. As Ben loves being outside – would spend all day out there! – we are hoping to get some funding or find some very kind people who would like to help us make it a great safe place for Ben to go out and play in his wheelchair.
If anyone would like to help or knows any business/ people who would be willing to help – with decking/ paving/ raised beds for ben to see in his wheelchair/ bark/ sensory items/ etc please let us know. Take care x
Update 15th April 2009
Ben is doing well after his operation last Friday, he was a little star and very brave. He is still sore, but getting much better. He also had his first botox injections in his legs whilst under the GA. Not felt much difference in the tightness in his legs yet, but hopefully we will in the next few weeks.
Ben also started pony riding last month and really enjoys it. He has been riding a lovely pony called Fudge, who we want to come and live with us he is so cute! It gives him a really great leg stretch and he thinks it’s really fun. He can not go for the next 6-8 weeks due to his operation, but we hope he will be back riding after that.
We are also due to go back to The Craighalbert Centre in June, and looking forward to it a lot. We are also going down to Sommerset to The Brainwave Centre for the first time soon. It is another privately funded therapy centre, which a few of his friends from Craighalbert also attend. It is totally different from Craighalbert, it will be just individual work and we get a personal physio plan of exercises at the end of the two days there (full details if you click on the Brainwave link). Then they come up to Scotland every 4-6 months to re-assess Ben and change his exercises etc. The cost for the assessment for the 2 days is £450 – without accommodation, petrol etc.
So the next few months are going to be very expensive! But well worth every penny if Ben learns something new or we are all helped in any other way to help Ben.
If you look over in Events you will see what our lastest fundraising efforts are – and all money raised will be going to fund Ben’s placements at the two therapy centres. Thank you all for your help in making it possible for us to take Ben to these centres so far – but I am afraid we still need help as the placements - and costs - are on going. It would be devastating to us all if we had to stop going to the centres for their help.
Update – 3rd March 2009
Gavin will be running the Garioch 10k on Sunday 29th March, any sponsorship donations would be greatfully received. Also, if anyone would like to help us by taking part in any of the events and getting their own sponsorship for Ben that would be fantastic. We would be more than happy to provide you with sponsorship forms, and any other information on Ben you would like.
Update – 3rd Feb 2009
Just to let everyone know how Ben is doing…………..
We have just got home from our second week at the Craighalbert Centre. And yet again we were very impressed! Ben worked really hard and was a star. He worked on his walking with help, sitting and standing. He was one very tired boy after the week. We have come home with a new set of ideas to try out until we return there for another week in May. We also have some pieces of equipment ideas that might be useful to Ben.
As we fund the centre placement ourselves all donations will be going towards the cost of the placement. We feel that the Centre is perfect for Ben, and hope we can take him for as long as possible. But all depends on funding the placement.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas (as we did) and that 2009 has started as well for you as ours has..Take care……..
Update – 25th November 2008…….
A short update to tell everyone about our progress, and what Ben has been up to 
At the end of October we went for our first week at ‘The Craighalbert Centre’, in Cumbernauld. It is a conductive education therapy centre for children with Cerebral palsy. As Aberdeenshire council will not fund a place there for any child, we will have to pay privately. In total with accomodation it is around £700 a week, with the placements being 4 weeks a year. This is quite a lot of money to find, as i think you can all understand. But even just being there for a week, we can see it would be a great place for Ben and us to go. The staff are great and Ben had a good time being with all children about his age, and of course they all had CP too – so he was not to odd one out! The week includes intensive physio and learning lots of new or different ways to move etc. It was very hard work for Ben and he was one very tired boy by the end of his busy days! We can’t wait to go back in January, as we really feel it could help Ben and us achieve more for him. So fund-raising will start up again in the spring to help us pay for Ben’s placements.
We also want to Thank everyone for there help and kindness, and wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a great 2009 to all of us i hope x
20th July 2008 – Just wanted to update the site and to let everyone know our fund-raising progress.
We would like to thank everyone who has helped us with our fund-raising this year, we have been over- whelmed by the kindness shown by everyone. We have so many people to thank – for their help, donations and letters of encouragement. Your support has meant the world to us, and to know people are thinking of Ben is lovely.
We have had many people contact us with offers of help, these include businesses and indivduals. To know that people have sat and thought of how to help us, and then to use their time and energy to do so is heart -warming to say the least.
To update on the progess of the “want/ need/ would love list” -
- The Garioch Loins heard of Ben and our fund-raising through the local papers and contacted us in May to say they had had a meeting and would like to offer us the full amount to fund the pacer walker for Ben. This was a fantastic surprise as the walker was one of the main things on our “need” list, and at £1800 it is a very generous donation. We took delivery of the walker about a month ago and Ben is now using it every day. He only manages a few minutes at a time, but the more he does the stronger his muscles will become. He can already take some very good steps in it.
- The Inverurie Round table also contacted us to say they would like to donate the money for the special car seat. Another wonderful surprise as Ben is getting too long for his regular car seat, and due to his high muscle tone, it is very hard to get him in and out of the car. We have ordered the seat, but due to a few problems with the car seat company we are still waiting for it. We have been given a date of about the middle of August for delivery – so we look forward to trying it out on a drive very soon.
- Ben also now has his own computer and touch screen monitor. He absolutely loves using it and is such a wizz-kid at the games! We were very impressed by how much he can do, and as it is now the holidays it is great to have it at home to use everyday. The money for this came from Ben’s fund, a local trust (not too sure they would want to be named) and JG ROSS the bakers, as the touch screen alone was more than a reg computer! We are hoping to purchase some more touch screen/ switch games for him and some communication software. These range from £45 to £400.
- We are going for a look around the Craighalbert centre in Cumbernauld later this month. It is a therapy centre dedicated to cerebral palsy children, and as it is a private centre it is not funded by the NHS. We have heard from other CP parents about the centre and how great it is. We are hoping it is right for Ben and that we can get him onto their placement list asap. The placements are for an average of 4 weeks per year and these are many hundreds of pounds per year. www.craighalbertcentre.org.
So as you can see we have done quite well – and all thanks to the generousity of everyone and their hard work. Also i must thank our friends who have helped out at our events and given us their support and time.
We are still hoping for Gavin and his dad to do a sponsored skydive – but as the dives alone are about £300 we are hoping to find a cheaper way. If anyone has any other fund-raising ideas please give us a shout.
All money we raise goes into Ben’s fund, and will be used for things like the placements at the Craighalbert centre, special software, a new seat for Ben to use at the computer, horse riding lessons for physio benefits, and we would like to try some other therapies like reflexology, etc. There are always new things Ben will need, as he will always be dependant on special equipment to help him in every day life, so to have a fund that we can use would be great. We would like to provide Ben with everything that will help him achieve all he can, and also have a lot of fun doing it- he is a great kid and deserves all the help we can give him:)