Thank You

Thank you to everyone who donated to the crowd funder for my son's wheelchair. Incredibly, the target was hit in just 12 hours!

This is a short note to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who donated to yesterday’s crowd funder for my son’s wheelchair.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-me-buy-my-son-a-junior-power-wheelchair

I set the crowd funder going just before lunchtime and didn’t think much more about it. I casually wondered how much we might raise in the six week timeframe that I had set, made myself some quiche and salad, did some washing up, and hung out the laundry.

I was stunned, therefore, to return to my computer an hour later and find that over £1,000 had been donated. I was even more amazed as my email kept pinging every few minutes as Crowdfunder sent me notifications of new donations. After four hours, £3,000 had been raised, and the £4,000 target was met in just 12 hours!

I couldn’t believe it.

Most donors chose to donate anonymously, in that their identity is not publicly visible. I can see the names of supporters from the back end, however. Of the 99 individual supporters so far, I only recognise the names of 8 or 9. This means that my son’s wheelchair has been funded largely by the kindness of strangers. That should be enough to restore anyone’s confidence in the goodness of humanity!

I have made an appointment to take my son to see the wheelchair company on July 25, so things will really get moving then. I will post an update afterwards, plus the receipt once the wheelchair is purchased.

Amazingly, kind-hearted people continue to donate, even though the target has been met. The 100th donation came in just now as I was writing this. The target has currently been exceeded by £319 on Crowdfunder, plus a few people have additionally chosen to donate by other means.

I certainly did not see this coming!

As mentioned in my original appeal, the costs of providing for my son’s condition are set to mount in the next year or two, owing to the need for home adaptations. The most likely eventuality will involve building an extension with an accessible bedroom, wet room, hoist, etc. The Disabled Facility Grant in the UK covers only half that cost, which is why we have put off doing it so far.

Therefore, I propose to leave the crowd funder open in case any more donations come in. I will ring-fence the funds exclusively for my son’s needs and provide updates and receipts as the money is spent. Needless to say, having the facilities he needs will make a huge difference, not just for him but for the whole family.

Thank you again to all those who have supported my son. And God bless you!