As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Sullivan’s Heroes, we are delighted that this milestone aligns with the completion of another adaptation project through the charity — this time for 9-year-old Leon and his family, with the creation of 'Leon’s downstairs bedroom and wet room’.
Leon’s parents explained the difficulties they were facing when they signed up with Sullivan’s Heroes for support:
“As Leon has been getting older, bigger and stronger it was becoming increasingly difficult carrying him up and down stairs. He will soon become too big to lift, carry and transfer from place to place.”
So, plans were put in place to extend the family home to provide Leon with a downstairs wet room and bedroom with tracking and ceiling hoists; widening all internal doorways throughout his home for full wheelchair access, along with installing ramped access to the front and back of the house.
With the cost of these works leaving the family with a shortfall of £15,000 required above the council funding awarded for the project, they set about fundraising towards this target.
Leon’s parents detail Sullivan’s Heroes' involvement in this process:
“Without Sullivan’s Heroes we would not have begun to know how to raise the additional funds we needed to complete the project – we were advised on charities to approach for funds and how to do this with full support from them.”
One of these such organisations were the local Worthing Lions Club who pledged a generous £1,000 towards the project, which boosted funds along with donations received through the fundraising page from supporters.
Leon’s parents continue with an insight into the fundraising journey:
“We received advice and guidance on funding which we never would have known about without Sullivan’s Heroes.”
“We would never have known where or how to start without them, we raised a good amount with their support and advice, then luckily our local council agreed to make up the shortfall after then.”
With the funds now met in their entirety, works got underway and were completed in a matter of weeks.
We couldn’t be happier at Sullivan’s Heroes to hear from Leon’s parents what this means for Leon and the family:
“Now Leon has his own downstairs bedroom and bathroom we no longer need to carry him up and down stairs or lift him in and out of the bath.”
“With the adaptations being made it has allowed us all to feel more confident knowing Leon is not restricted – having his own safe space and having ramping out the front and back of our home for easy access.”
