Chester children’s charity given vital boost by Wirral Stone Lodge

Children Today Charitable Trust has received a vital boost from Wirral Stone Lodge No 8081, thanks to a £2,500 donation from the Freemason’s group.

The Chester-based charity provides support for disabled children and young adults throughout the UK.

The services and vital adapted equipment – such as adapted trikes, adapted buggies and sensory equipment – that Children Today offers is often truly life-changing for not only the children they support but their families too.

Ray Thomas, charity representative for the Wirral Stone Lodge, said: “I became aware of the amazing work Children Today do after they helped provide an adapted trike for my grandson, Cody.

“After seeing the impact, the trike has had on not just Cody but the whole family, we wanted to help support other youngsters in desperate need of essential equipment to improve their quality of life.”

Cody Thomas, from Ellesmere Port, has multiple conditions including Autism, Epilepsy and Global Development Delay. He was unable to ride a regular bike for his own safety, as he’s at risk of having a seizure and has little danger awareness.

At a cost of more than £4,000, Cody’s family reached out to Children Today for support, and the charity was able to help provide funding towards an adapted trike.

Alisha, Cody’s mum, explains: “Having the trike has made a huge difference to us as a family. Simply being able to all go out on bike rides together is a major thing for us and watching him being able to play with his brother, Logan, is just amazing.

“The first week we got the trike we went to a local park, and for the first time ever we were able to just sit back and watch Cody play with Logan and his cousins, knowing he was safe. Usually, we have to carefully supervise his every move, so seeing him have the freedom to play and be more independent was a very emotional moment.

“Now that he’s had the trike for a year and has been getting regular practice pedalling, he’s even had some success using a non-adapted trike at his school and is doing really well.”

Ray Thomas and his Worshipful Master, Dave Walker, presented a cheque to Emma Prescott, charity direct, at Children Today’s office.

Ray also made an additional private donation of £100 from the sale of a personal family item. 

Emma Prescott, charity director at Children Today, comments: “On behalf of everyone here at Children Today and the children and families we support, I want to thank the Wirral Stone Lodge for choosing to donate to Children Today. As a small charity we rely solely on contributions from individuals and organisations, so donations like these make a huge difference to the children and families we support.  

“It can be easy to take things like a family bike ride for granted. For many families with a disabled child these things can be fraught with difficulty and, due to the cost of adapted equipment, is often prohibitively expensive too. But you really can’t put a price on being able to do the things you love together as a family.

“Cody’s trike has given him more freedom and independence and crucially provided opportunities for his whole family to spend quality time together and bond. That’s priceless!”

To find out more about children today, to apply for support or make a donation visit: 

www.childrentoday.org.uk

About Children Today:

Children Today was founded in 1994 and provides children and young people with disabilities up to the age of 25 with specialised equipment to help them enjoy a better quality of life and greater independence.

Relying entirely on voluntary donations, Children Today provides equipment for disabled children and young adults such as individually adapted electric wheelchairs, walking aids, trikes, specially adapted car seats and more.

Pictured - Left to Right - Dave Walker, Ray Thomas and Emma Prescott.