Dara Walls (3) from Magherafelt received a boost from the Energy for Children Charitable Trust, having successfully been awarded funding for a specialist ‘Go To Seat’ to enable Dara to participate in family meal times.
Dara has Spina bifida which has impacted his balance, making it difficult for Dara to safely sit in a regular dining chair with the rest of his family at mealtimes. Dara’s uncle, Paul Higgins, applied to the Charity for funding for a specialist chair to help secure Dara in place and assist in improving his posture, providing him with a more comfortable experience.
Dad Adrian explains, “Dara is such a smiley, happy boy and generally copes very well with his condition, but we noticed recently that Dara was becoming conscious of using his very clinical looking chair to sit with us at the dinner table. Dara wanted to have a more normal experience sitting on a regular seat, but his lack of balance meant that he was in danger of falling and hurting himself. This was starting to affect Dara emotionally and so we applied to the Energy for Children Charity for funding for a specialist seat designed for children with Dara’s condition.
“Thanks to Energy for Children, Dara is able to sit with us on a regular seat and no longer feels self-conscious. The chair is also portable so we are easily able to take this with us to visit his grandparents and relatives, which is great news for the wider family as well. We can’t thank Energy for Children enough for their support.”
Charity Liaison Officer, Geri Wright said, “I’m delighted to see how much of a difference this chair has made to Dara’s life and the family as a whole. It’s great to see Dara now sitting at the table in a regular seat and enjoying this precious family time. The Go To Seat is also helping correct his posture and build his strength which will help in his development.
“This is exactly why the Charity exists, to help local children like Dara who are most in need and I’m thrilled to see the positive impact it is having on the Walls family”, added Geri.
Energy for Children is an initiative of Phoenix Energy and the wider natural gas industry. The Charity was established in 2005 to provide financial support to groups and individuals that may slip through the net of the wider charity network.
Founded on the principle that ‘all monies raised go directly to local children and young people’, the Trust aims to reach deeper into the heart of local communities throughout Greater Belfast and beyond in order to really make a difference to disadvantaged children’s lives.
Since its formation, the trust has helped over 6,000 local children and every month continues to help those who need it most.
For more information on the Energy for Children Charitable Trust, visit www.phoenixnaturalgas.com/about-us/phoenix-group/corporate-responsibility