Builder's funds support young Madeline

A £1,000 donation from a local housebuilder is supporting a four-year-old with cerebral palsy in her daily life.

Persimmon Homes South West has made the donation to help Madeline Bell, from Willand, Cullompton, in her efforts to become more independent and to ease some of the painful side effects of her condition.

The £1,000 grant was made through Persimmon Homes’ hugely successful Community Champions campaign.

Kayleigh Bell, Madeline’s mum, said: “Madeline was very poorly when she was born and wasn’t expected to live past a few days, but she has certainly come a long way in four years.

“Madeline is deaf blind and her cerebral palsy means she is non-mobile and experiences regular spasms and epilepsy that it is hard to control. She is also fed through a tube into her stomach.

“As a family we are always looking at different treatments and equipment to help Madeline and unfortunately they not all available through the NHS.

“We are currently fundraising for equipment to help Madeline sit and stand and exercise her legs, which will also reduce her spasms, a communication aid and a swim seat that will allow her to go into a pool without having to be held constantly.

“The generous donation from Persimmon Homes South West takes us a bit closer to achieving those goals.”

Nina Hester, sales and marketing director at Persimmon Homes South West, said: “As a company we have enjoyed huge success over the last few years, and it’s great to be able to give something back to the communities in which we are working.

“This is exactly what our Community Champions scheme is all about, supporting communities and individuals to make a positive change.”

The Persimmon Homes South West Community Champions initiative invites groups and charities who have already worked hard to raise money themselves to apply for match-funding of up to £1,000 by completing an online form at www.persimmonhomes.com/charity

This also happens across Persimmon’s other 29 operating areas, meaning up to £60,000 is dished out every single month – a total of £720,000 a year, and more than £2million since the scheme started in 2015.

For further information on Persimmon Homes developments visit www.persimmonhomes.com