As we turn the corner to summer months, so too do many of the home adaptation projects underway with Sullivan’s Heroes.
‘An accessible home for David’ project has extended the family home and converted the garage to build a new bedroom for David and created accessible living space, including a through-floor lift, giving David access to his bedroom.
David’s parents state of the works so far:
“David's height adjustable bath and wall mounted changing plinth are installed! David's bedroom flooring was also laid this week. Now we wait for the lift. Only a month (and a bit) to go!”
Whilst ‘Myk’s accessible home project’ is taking shape rapidly too – to create a ground floor bedroom and bathroom extension including a specialist bath for Myk, together with wheelchair access into and around the ground floor of his home.
Works on ‘Oliver’s forever home’, to create a loft conversion, with through-floor lift, wet room and hi-lo bath; plus adapt the kitchen, together with building ramped wheelchair access to the garden to give Oliver more independent living are in full flow too!
‘Filip’s journey to come back home’ is getting closer day-by-day for Filip to be able to leave hospital – where he has resided for 2 whole years – to the safety of his newly adapted home. A ground floor bedroom and wet room extension with specialist equipment and ceiling track hoists has been built at the family home, to ensure a safe environment for Filip so he can finally be discharged from hospital. Support for Filip’s project to speed up his homecoming has been gratefully received recently, from Granite Tops UK, where Filip’s father works.
‘Aurora's Big Build’ to create a downstairs bedroom and wetroom, and make the garden accessible for Aurora to use safely in her wheelchair, is getting ever closer to an end point, with the new accessible porch and driveway area being constructed this month.
‘Henry’s Safe Space’ is nearing 50% of their £18,056 target to convert the garage at Henry’s home into a safe space with immediate access from the living area of the house, complete with storage for all of the equipment he needs.
Together with receiving generous funding from Florence Nightingale Aid in Sickness Trust to provide flooring in Henry’s new spaces, funds have also been raised by the intrepid ‘M25 Challengers’, led by Henry’s Dad. The team, including one member on horseback!, undertook a gruelling 24-hour team running challenge – completing more than the entire length of the M25 in 24 hours with no 2 runners running at any one time. The final total was a whopping 251.1 km covered … and over £9,000 now raised!
The project for ‘Funding Zohaib's accessible home and garden’ will extend the family home to provide 5-year-old Zohaib with a downstairs accessible bedroom and wetroom with hoisting throughout, plus access to the garden. Funding awarded through the council left an initial shortfall of £36,000 – towards which the family have now raised £16,000 – leaving £20,000 now required to meet the project costs.
As Zohaib’s parents tell us:
“Zohaib has a life limiting, degenerative, progressive condition. He will never be able to sit, stand or walk. An accessible home will give Zohaib a fully adapted wet room, so all his cares are met in privacy and with dignity rather than on a mat in the living room in front of others. He can enjoy a proper shower rather than a bed bath! A fully accessible garden will mean that for the first time in his life Zohaib will be able to go out into this space in a safe manner. A space that most of us take for granted!!”
“As a family we are now fully focused on giving Zohaib the comfort and love that he needs in his home. We hope the adaptions will enable the latter stage of his life to be filled with comfort and contentment ensuring that all his needs can be met with ease.”
‘Independent life for Ben’ project involves demolishing the garage at Ben’s home and building an extension to create a ground floor wet room to include level access shower, toilet, wall hung basin and changing table together with creation of a combined ground floor bedroom / safe space. Disabled Facilities Grant funding has been awarded through the council, but costs of the works leave a shortfall of £35,000 to meet the project costs.
Ben’s parents advise:
“Ben has complex and profound medical needs, including severe autism and epilepsy. We are trying to create a downstairs Bedroom/safespace for him and also a fully accessible wet room to help with his independence skills as much as possible while still living at home.”
We conclude by showcasing ‘Olive’s accessible house’ which is now fully completed and a resounding success!
The project, requiring £40,000 to be raised above the Disabled Facilities Grant awarded, involved extending and adapting the family home – adding a side extension with an additional bedroom and specialist adapted wetroom for Olive; plus installing a through-floor lift.
Olive’s parents tell us:
"We had no way of getting Olive (now 6) up to her bedroom without carrying her. Olive can now access every part of the house independently, she has autonomy. It’s been amazing – it’s no overstatement to say it’s life changing.”
“We know she is safe wherever she is in the house, hygiene is better because she has her own bathroom and access to two sinks to wash her hands properly … she is just happier and more independent and it’s made all of our lives easier because she is not excluded from any part of family life. Whenever I hear Connie moaning about Olive (her disabled sister) being in her room, I think how ‘normal’ that is – and how it wouldn’t be happening if we hadn’t gone for our dream of creating a fully adapted house for Olive.”
Please do get in touch if you have any fundraising events, activities and ideas you’d like to share with us; or if you would like to apply for a grant or to fundraise through Sullivan’s Heroes.
Thank you for your ongoing support, it is greatly appreciated.
