Life in lockdown for Menphys beneficiaries

Fundraising

to support young people like Jack

Life in lockdown for children and young people with disabilities was difficult. Here’s how one young man is doing after help throughout the pandemic from

South Wigston-based charity Menphys WORDS BY EMILY MILLER

For Jack Eaton, a 16-year-old boy with Down Syndrome and Autism, the pandemic was an especially difficult time. However, with the help of Menphys, a Leicestershire charity supporting young people with disabilities, and funds raised by people like Niche Business Awards 2021 Local Hero winner Darren Bradbury, Jack and his family found respite and glimmers of joy in their days.

Without the routine of schooling and activities for each day, home life can be challenging for children and young people, but for those with special needs it can be especially challenging.

Jack’s mum Clare can’t speak highly enough of the At Home Support Boxes delivered by Menphys during the pandemic. She said: “Jack was already attending the Menphys Hub at Basset Street in South Wigston but when the first lockdown hit, we didn’t have anywhere to go, nothing to keep him stimulated and the iPad became rather too constant.

“Then we received our first activity box to our door and it really was so much fun. The boxes were filled with different activities and Jack started to look forward to his deliveries so much. They provided a muchneeded distraction from every day being the same!”

From afternoon tea to Hawaiian dress-up, the boxes were sent across the county to children with disabilities and their families who were cooped up and unstimulated.

As things opened up, so too did the services Menphys were able to provide, and Jack particularly enjoyed the basketball sessions with Leicester Riders throughout the summer holidays. He enjoyed them so much he is returning to Friday after-school basketball.

Clare said: “The social aspect of these sessions has been huge. He’s found friends and independence from attending without me by his side – it helped his confidence immensely and he looks forward to it so much. Menphys’s services are life-changing.”

Jack also attends the charity’s Saturday clubs which provide artistic and sporting activities, stimulating and inspiring Jack to try new things and socialise independently. Not only are these sessions great for Jack, but they also allow his family some space too. “It’s a relief to myself and his dad that Jack can go and have some fun without us for a few hours a week; it means his sister can go and do her thing too. To watch him thrive in these settings is a real joy.”

These valuable services couldn’t happen without the support of individuals like local Leicester Businessman Darren Bradbury, who recently received the local hero award at The Niche Business Awards 2021 for his exceptional fundraising efforts. For Menphys, Darren has so far raised an incredible £18,500 this year, which allows the charity to continue offering life-changing services to families like Jack’s.

Visit menphys.org.uk to find out how you can help too.

IT’S A RELIEF TO MYSELF AND HIS DAD THAT JACK CAN GO AND HAVE SOME FUN WITHOUT US FOR A FEW HOURS A WEEK