All at Sullivan’s Heroes, together with Fletcher and his family, are thrilled to bring news of the completed project for 'Fletcher’s new bedroom & bathroom’.
The project, for which Fletcher’s family needed to raise £15,000 above the Disabled Facilities Grant awarded, involved building a downstairs bedroom and bathroom extension with ceiling hoist, and creating wider access into and around the 5-year-old’s home.
Fletcher’s Mum gives us some background to the project:
“Fletcher is unable to walk and it was a struggle carrying him up and down stairs on a daily basis, along with lifting him in and out of a bath. Our downstairs was completely unsuitable for a wheelchair in terms of space and access, so we found ourselves carrying him from room to room.”
The family set about fundraising through Sullivan’s Heroes and met their target required with the help of family, friends and external organisations. Works got underway in the summer months, much to the delight of Fletcher and his younger brother who could watch the diggers in their garden!
Now that the building works have been completed, creating an accessible downstairs space for Fletcher, his Mum details the differences this has made:
“Fletcher will be living on the ground floor and have access into the house and around the downstairs through widened doorways.”
“Fletcher now has a bed and bathroom downstairs with a hoist meaning we don’t have to carry him around as much. The extension is very much open plan so his chair can easily be moved around the house in the rooms we share.”
It’s not just internally where these vital changes have been made – the garden has also been made accessible to Fletcher, which has brought about huge benefits too, as Fletcher’s Mum describes:
“It has made the world of difference already – for the first time since doing the extension, we can actually wheel Fletcher up the path and into the house. We don't have to struggle lifting him out of the car and carrying him into the house anymore, which is saving my back, but also is much nicer for him rather than being manhandled on a daily basis.”
“It’s lovely to watch Fletcher sitting out in the garden in his chair as he watches the birds and planes in the sky, the wind blowing in the trees and see him happy and content. He's going to really enjoy the garden at every opportunity he gets.”
We’re delighted to hear the changes for the better this project has achieved – and to hear first-hand from Fletcher’s Mum how Sullivan’s Heroes were able to help:
"We wouldn’t have achieved our target without the invaluable help Sullivan’s Heroes gave us. It was also really helpful having someone at the end of an email who had been in the same situation.”
“It gave us a charity backing us so that our fundraising page looked more professional and real. Furthermore, they provided pages of contacts for us to try to gain funding, most of which I wouldn’t have found had I been doing it myself.”
“It’s amazing to see that so many families are being helped – families who have maybe been let down by local services. Home adaptions are so stressful and costly and just another thing parents have to worry about when trying to provide the best for their children. I’m so thankful I found Sullivan’s Heroes.”
View the fundraising page for ‘Fletcher’s new bedroom & bathroom’ here.
