currently having to sleep on a mattress on the floor.

Riley Price from Kettering, Northamptonshire, has Autism, Epilepsy and is big for his age. He has no awareness of his own strength and can easily become frustrated, taking out these frustrations on the things around him.

Riley has already broken four standard beds in the past four years and his mum Laura Price has had to resort to putting a mattress on the floor to keep him from injuring himself. Riley is in need of a strong sturdy bed which will be able to carry his weight, and handle his strength when his behaviour becomes more challenging.

Riley’s mum Laura said: “For his own safety Riley now sleeps on a mattress because as soon he becomes frustrated or sometimes even just sit on his beds they would break, he doesn’t know how strong he is. With me trying to repair each bed and make them stable as quickly as possible his night time routine went out the window. The longer it took me the more frustrated Riley became, waking up his brothers in the process. This was a nightly occurrence.”

As Riley has grown the family realised he needed a specialist bed which would support him properly and keep him safe. Sleeping on the floor may be OK for the time being but mum Laura knows that this is not a permanent solution and does not benefit Riley’s health.

“As a mum I know it’s not the best for my son to be sleeping on the floor. Over recent years I’ve spent so much money on beds and tried every style out there and it has become quite stressful. As his mum I just want to do the best job possible for him,” added Laura.

With the specialist bed Riley needs costing £740, and no statutory funding available, Laura turned to Newlife Foundation – the UK’s leading charity funder of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness – for help.

“Riley is such a happy young boy. He loves watching old videos – his favourite to watch is old episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine. He also enjoys swimming . . . anything to do with the outdoors. With a new bed Riley’s night time routine can get back to normal, I will not have to worry about repairing the bed and his brothers can sleep through the night too.”

If you would like to help Riley, go to: www.newlifecharity.co.uk/northamptonshire and click on the Donate Now button beside his story. Riley is one of eight children in the county currently needing equipment, so any surplus funding will be used to help these other families.

In Northamptonshire, Newlife has already provided in excess of £202,000 of disability equipment – including beds, wheelchairs, seating and sensory aids – for 169 children.
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Editor’s Notes:

About Newlife
• Newlife is the UK’s leading children’s disability charity, specialising in support to aid children affected by all disabilities and terminal illness.

• Without Newlife, thousands of children would suffer pain, isolation, worsening conditions and poor quality of life.

• Newlife is the UK’s largest non-statutory provider of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness.

• Newlife Foundation supports families nationally, through a range of free services including:
Nurse-staffed helpline
Equipment grants
Emergency equipment loans
Sensory and developmental toy ‘pod’ loans.

• In addition to funding the above services and medical research, the charity also offers a support service delivered by specially trained nurses and campaigns for a fairer deal for children.

• To meet current demand, the charity needs over £8,000 a day to provide essential equipment such as wheelchairs, beds, walking frames, seating, safety equipment and communication aids to children nationwide.

• Newlife does not receive any government funding and is reliant on income from its unique recycling operation, volunteers and supporters all over the UK and regional appeals to carry out its work. Newlife is one of the few national charities that actively offers donors/supporters the chance to ensure 100% of their gift is spent how they want it used – nothing taken out for admin etc.

• Newlife recognises there are almost a million children in the UK with significant disabilities. It is believed that this number is increasing, as childhood deaths decrease due to improved treatment and management of prematurity, accidents, infections, cancers and inborn conditions.

CONTACT US

Information on the charity can be found at www.newlifecharity.co.uk or the trading company at www.newlifetrading.co.uk. For further advice from the Newlife Nurse Services, call 0800 902 0095.

Newlife followers can also track Newlife on Twitter, www.twitter.com/newlifecharity, and Facebook, www.facebook.com/newlifefoundation.

Newlife’s Chief Executive Officer is Mrs Sheila Brown, OBE, FRSM. She is a parent of disabled children and a leading activist and speaker for the welfare and health of disabled children, awarded an OBE by the Queen in 2002 for services to child health.

Newlife can offer Editors and Journalists:
• Expert views/opinions
• Family stories
• Campaign information
• Interviews
• Photo opportunities

Issued by Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, Newlife Centre, Hemlock Way, Cannock, Staffordshire, WS11 7GF.

For further information please contact Jane Vincent or Karen Cox at Newlife. Tel: 01543 468 888 or Email: jvincent@newlifecharity.co.uk or hshservington@newlifecharity.co.uk