A disabled toddler will be able to continue his vital therapy treatment thanks to a fundraising drive by the local farming community, which helped raise thousands of pounds.
Sam Billington, two, of Catterall, was born with a spastic quadriplegia, a severe form of cerebral palsy which has left him unable to stand, walk or talk.
His parents, Matt and Jocelyn, have been making daily trips to the Breathe for Life charity-run centre in Heysham for Sam to receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy – a costly treatment not funded by the NHS. Thanks to the efforts of the couple’s close friends and family, Sam will now be able to take his next course of treatment.
Mum Jocelyn said: “We don’t know what the future holds for Sam but we want to do as much as we possibly can to help as he gets bigger. Sam has very restricted movement – he can’t stand or talk and has limited use of his hands. He is totally dependant.”
A family fundraiser this summer raised cash for a specialist suit for Sam, but then Matt was approached by family friend and local farmer Peter Robinson, who said he wanted to organise an event.
Peter with wife Sue, daughters Jenny and Amy, friends Mark Robinson and Dickie Parker and an army of volunteers, hosted a event that raised more than £5,000 at their home, Longfield House Farm in Claughton.
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