Garden transformation for wheelchair-user brothers

5 hours ago

Josh Sandiford,West Midlandsand

Sarah Julian,BBC Radio WM

News image — Brothers Samuel and Benjamin, whose garden is being transformed by WellChild's Helping Hands programme

WellChild Two boys wearing red school uniforms smile at the camera while sitting side by side in front of a white panelled door. The boy on the right is seated in an electric wheelchair with a joystick control visible, wearing a shirt and striped tie under his red cardigan. The boy on the left leans in towards his brother, wearing a red zip-up fleece. — Brothers Samuel and Benjamin, whose garden is being transformed by WellChild's Helping Hands programme

The garden of two brothers with a life-limiting condition has been transformed by volunteers in a 48-hour makeover in Brierley Hill.

Benjamin and Samuel, who are 10 and 11, both have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness.

The pair both use electric wheelchairs, and children's charity WellChild carried out the work through its Helping Hands programme, which aims to help young people with complex medical needs thrive at home.

Their mother, Abigail, said the boys had never had a safe outdoor space because the garden was currently on multiple levels and unsuitable for wheelchairs.

"We've lived in other houses that just haven't met their needs," she explained.

"This is the first house we've lived in where they can actually get outside independently. To have the garden done for them will literally change their lives completely."

Volunteers have laid artificial grass, replaced a patio and installed decking to make the space fully accessible.

WellChild A boy in a black football shirt sits in his electric wheelchair on newly laid artificial grass in a sunny back garden. A raised timber flower bed with freshly planted flowers and daffodils separates the lawn from a bark-covered area, with the edge of a trampoline visible to the left. The garden backs onto a red brick bungalow under a clear blue sky. — The transformed garden in Brierley Hill was finished on Wednesday

Abigail added: "[The boys] were already so excited when they saw everybody.

"It was a bit overwhelming, but I just know they're going to absolutely love it and they're going to be in it every day."

The project began on Tuesday and was completed on Wednesday afternoon.

WellChild A group of volunteers in matching dark navy clothing dig and clear ground in a residential back garden on an overcast day. Garden tools, buckets and building materials are scattered across the muddy ground beside a brick outbuilding. A pink sign on the outbuilding reads 'Celebrating 500 WellChild Helping Hands Projects'. — Volunteers work to transform the brothers' garden in Brierley Hill

Kieran Cullen, WellChild's Helping Hands programme manager, spoke to BBC Radio WM as the project got under way, saying volunteers were working hard to meet the 48-hour deadline.

"Companies from all over the country, as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes, they come along and provide the funding and the elbow grease to make these transformations happen," he said.

According to the NHS, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most common type of muscular dystrophy. It begins in early childhood, usually only affects boys and progresses quickly.

There is currently no cure but treatment can help manage symptoms.

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