Time has certainly flown as we celebrate a happy and productive 10-year anniversary of Sullivan’s Heroes next month!
Those ten years have seen the charity support 189 children to date with their home adaptations projects – with over £1.6 million raised for them, with your generous support. We can’t thank you all enough, as we really couldn’t do it without you all.
For a recap of all those projects successfully completed to date, here’s just a selection of them: https://www.sullivansheroes.org/who-we-are-helping/who-weve-helped/
As we continue into our next decade, we’ve had many new applicants to the charity over the summer months, together with numerous projects being undertaken across the dry and sunny period.
Two of those new applicants are 11-year-old Tay and 3-year-old Leo. ‘Tay’s adapted wetroom’ project involves creating a downstairs wetroom for Tay via an extension, providing level showering facilities to meet Tay’s needs. Disabled Facilities Grant funding has been awarded through the council, but costs of the works leave a shortfall of £5,975 to meet the project costs.
Tay’s mum tells us:
“Tay is a wonderful boy with many complex needs requiring much support in many aspects of his life. Tay was first diagnosed as being Severely Autistic under 3 years of age. Tay has many disabilities and severe behavioural issues as well as seizures and Severe Intellectual Disability. Whilst Tay is non-verbal and therefore cannot communicate his needs, his desire to live a fulfilled life and his achievements are outstanding. Tay has learnt many new skills and continues to amaze everyone with his continued dedication to exceed everyone’s expectations. This wetroom will help with promoting his independence, learning skills and less falls from his current bathroom and generally being a safer environment for him.”
Similarly, ‘A new adapted home for Leo’ will provide a wetroom together with a downstairs bedroom extension to meet Leo's needs. As Leo is a full-time wheelchair user an adapted porch and access ramp will also be installed. Leo’s family are seeking the £28,000 required to meet the costs of the works, above the local authority grant and top-up funding awarded.
Leo’s parents tell us:
“Leo requires 24-hour care. We are fundraising to help us get our home adapted. We are currently carrying Leo around his home which is becoming unsafe as Leo is getting heavier and more difficult to lift. We need a wet room and downstairs bedroom to meet Leo's needs. We have never asked for funding before but we now feel like we have no choice.”
Many projects underway over the summer months continue to flourish, including ‘Amara’s Forever Home’– whose wetroom extension is getting ever closer to completion, thanks to recent support from both Promise Dreams and Independence at Home.
Meanwhile, works for ‘An accessible home for Finlay’ will commence next week, extending the family home to create a bedroom and wet room which can be accessed independently by the teenager.
The project will also provide a wheelchair-accessible kitchen, along with access throughout the ground floor and to the garden for Finlay, with the creation of a permanent ramp.
Finlay was delighted to receive a £250 cheque recently from his local Co-Op – a generous contribution towards the £50,000 target he and his family are raising to cover the essential works.
We look forward to bringing updates of Finlay’s project as it develops, along with news of other works as we proceed into our next decade of Sullivan’s Heroes’ activities!
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.
