THE charity at the heart of our ongoing fundraising campaign has thanked all those who have donated so far.

The Hereford Times has been raising money for Megan Baker House throughout the year, with the aim of reaching £35,000. That money will help sponsor a year of Conductive Education for 10 youngsters during 2017.

And, thanks to your support, as the end of the year approaches we are now just £5,000 short of the total.

Lee Gough, chief executive of Megan Baker House, said: "We must say a big thank you to all who have donated towards the appeal.

"We have been very touched by the ways in which people have supported us. There have been groups such as Hereford Lions, people holding birthday parties and asking for donations to us in lieu of presents, collections from funerals and many other kind donations.

"All are very welcome and have helped tremendously towards the project. With many stories and the changes parents have noticed in their children's abilities and the need for our services ever increasing, we constantly need to keep applying to grant giving bodies and asking for community support to fund the £400,000 needed per year to run the centre. Thank you again for your generosity."

The centre, near Leominster is arguably the leading provider of conductive education in the UK, a form of education that helps in particular young children with motor disabilities such as cerebral palsy, dyspraxia and the like.

But it’s also there for older people with early onset Parkinsons, helping each individual who steps foot inside its North Herefordshire centre to discover, or rediscover, the ability to control their bodies and overcome at least some of their disabilities and motor issues.

This newspaper has highlighted a number of stories from parents who say they couldn't imagine life without this incredible charity which offers 'hope' and a 'lifeline'.

In many cases, families have been told that their children might never be able to do anything for themselves. Against that bleak prediction, now imagine the relief and joy that a parent feels when they are told that there is help available and it is called Megan Baker House.

It is a charity that will do everything it can to help a young child take at least a degree of control of their disabilities and begin to do things for him or herself.

The simple act of the child being able to brush their own teeth or hair, to feed themselves albeit slowly, or to go to the toilet on their own – things that a few short months before, they thought would be impossible, is quite staggering in its intensity.

One recent donation to the charity has come from Orleton Coffee Shop, which is run by members of the community on Wednesday mornings throughout the year in the village hall.

Each week in the month, a different group represented in the community takes responsibility for the serving of coffee, tea and cakes. Three or four times a year, any surplus money raised is donated to a local group or charity to be used directly by them. The shop was able to hand £300 to the MBH.

Other donations have been made by people who have completed the likes of fundraising skydives, held breakfast clubs, fashion shows, dog shows and many others.

Two of the most recent fundraisers for the charity were the Megan Baker House ball, which was held at Eastnor Castle and raised a staggering £17,000, and the Mud Bath event at the same location which raised a further £4,166.

One couple who know just how important the charity's work is are parents Donna and Lee Mullen. Their 20-month-old son Francis has been receiving help from the charity – despite the centre being a four-hour journey from their home county of Essex.

They said: "By six months old we became concerned that our son Francis was not meeting his developmental milestones. After an initial paediatric appointment we were given the news that he may have autistic traits. We didn't know how to help Francis with the development of his motor skills.

We were very relieved when we were able to access the services provided by MBH. After his initial assessment Francis was offered monthly sessions. We travel each month a four-hour journey from Essex to Leominster, but it is worth every second. There is nothing like this available to us nearer our home."

When he first started at MBH aged 10-months-old, he was unable to roll over and spent the majority of his time lying down. But already, after nine months, he is beginning to learn to crawl and has become more confident at interacting with the world around him.

They said: "We feel that this progress has a lot to do with the help he receives from MBH. When he attends MBH, we see an improvement in the days that follow. He takes away something each session that he attends.

"The staff do fantastic work, they are great at interacting with Francis and are able to get the most out of him."

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