The London Freemasons have gifted £60,000 children’s charity Variety – a grant that will be used to purchase essential specialist equipment and technologies for families of severely disabled children.
Equipment such as hoists can transform the home lives of lesser abled people, making the home space more navigable and accessible. On top of this, the money could be put towards sleeping pods and alarms to help reduce the families’ night time anxiety.
Tools and devices such as these can also significantly boost the child’s independence, improving their mobility and enabling them to play and amuse themselves more easily. Equipment such as this includes specialist wheelchairs, sensory equipment, bathroom equipment and standers/walkers.
£60k£60kThe lack of such equipment in the home can put a considerable strain on both the child and their family; parents and carers of a child with disabilities are more prone to long-term health issues such as severe back pain due to lifting, fatigue due to needing to wake frequently during the night and isolation due to difficulty getting out. NHS England reported that care givers of wheelchair users have a 90% chance of developing musculoskeletal damage, while 75% of carers of wheelchair users receive no training in how to use them safely.
You might also like: Digital system helps transform Birmingham school admissions
The grant from the London Freemasons comes via the Masonic Charitable Foundation, and will allow 20 more children, young people and their families to receive the equipment they desperately need.
Charlotte Walker, fundraising manager at Variety, commented: “We’re very grateful to London Freemasons for their generous grant, which will provide vital equipment to children and young people and their families. Whether it’s a specialist wheelchair that helps a previously isolated family get out and about or a sleeping pod that might give an exhausted parent the chance of a better night’s sleep, the results can be life-changing.”