The owner of a barber’s shop in Bradmore has taken a snip off his weekly wages to help fund an extra special Christmas present for a boy suffering from a rare chromosome disorder.
Matt Wilson, aged 25, from Raymond’s Barbers, decided to donate all his wages from last Friday (November 30th), to help Wolverhampton wheelchair charity POWER PLEAS with their campaign for a new mobility trike for young James Padfield.
James, aged six and from Finchfield, suffers from a rare chromosome disorder which means he has no verbal communication and severe difficulties with his mobility, and is about to grow out of his current trike, which is unquestionably his most prized and valued possession.
POWER PLEAS, which funded James’ first trike, launched a campaign to raise almost £1,700 required for the new customised trike, and Raymond’s donation of £800, which includes both Matt’s daily wage and funding from a raffle and contributions from customers, means he will now be able to receive it just in time for Christmas.
Matt on his fundraising day with James and James’s Mum Sarah
“I’ve been cutting James’s hair for about three years now, and it has been great to see the progress he has made during that time,” says Matt.
“He loves his trike, and I have to cut his hair while he is sitting on it, so when we found out that he was going to need a new one, we wanted to try and help if we could.
“I decided to donate a day’s wages, but so many other people have also come forward and made a donation which, along with the great support of Power Pleas, means we should be able to have enough for the trike.
“James is a great lad, and hopefully this will give him an even better Christmas and we can all look forward to seeing him coming for his next hair cut on his brand new trike.”
James’s Mum Sarah said she was almost lost for words when hearing of Matt’s selfless gesture.
“It is difficult to know what to say when someone is so kind as Matt has been to do something like this – it is very humbling,” she explained.
“The trike is so important to James – he is on it for long periods of every day – and without it he just wouldn’t be able to access the world like he does.
“It really helps maintain his interest in what is going on around him, keeps his core muscles strong and helps support and develop his mobility, which is why we are so grateful that he will be able to continue this with the new trike.”
POWER PLEAS was set up in 1987 since when it has provided approximately 200 wheelchairs and mobility aids not available via state provision to children with mobility disorders.
• A throwback to when James supported POWER PLEAS in a Wolves’ collection, on a photo also including Wolves club captain Danny Batth and the late Baroness Rachael Heyhoe Flint
“James’ parents’ Dave and Sarah have been great supporters to us in recent years, including Dave taking on a 100-mile cycle fundraising ride, and helping us with promoting our annual collection with Tettenhall Rotary Club at Wolves matches,” said the charity’s Chairman, Keith Berry.
“As a small charity we are reliant on the generosity of individuals and organisations to help provide wheelchairs and mobility aids to people who need them, and this is another fantastic gesture from Matt and all at Raymond’s to make such a positive difference to James’s life.”
Anyone else wishing to support POWER PLEAS can do so through the Power Pleas page on www.goldengiving.com.
