Express launches urgent Christmas appeal for children's charity in crisis

Thousands of children are in danger of missing out on crucial freedom and independence because they are waiting too long for life-changing wheelchairs. Having the right personalised wheelchair gives the gift of freedom to youngsters like Jake Annals, four, and Harper Bailey, three. But the charity that helped them - and has supported families who fall through cracks in NHS provision for decades - is now in crisis.

The Express is launching an urgent Christmas fundraising appeal for Whizz Kidz, which recently made the heartbreaking decision to close its waiting list for the first time in 35 years. We are today calling on generous readers to help us Give the Gift of Childhood this Christmas. Harper's mum Yasmin Grover, 25, said: "Every child should have the opportunity to be independent, regardless of whether they can walk or speak. Why should a child not have some type of aid to experience the world the way we do?"

Harper, of Headley, in Hampshire, was born with the rare muscle disorder distal arthrogryposis and scoliosis which causes her spine to curve. She is small for her age and people often assumed she was much younger when she was carried in a pram, Yasmin said.

Harper was offered a manual wheelchair by the NHS but it was extremely hard for her to push. Whizz Kidz stepped in and gave her a powered wheelchair in April, which has transformed her life.

Yasmin said: "It's been the best thing that has ever happened for Harper. I feel like it makes Harper feel less intimidated, because in a pram people talk to her like she's a baby, rather than a three-year-old.

"Before she wouldn't really talk to anyone. Now she'll go up to people and start conversations. She has just got so much more confidence.

"A child who cannot walk or move around, they will just learn to use the aids they're given - that technically is their legs. The chair for them is their way of getting around. For her, there's no difference."

Little Harper can elevate the seat in her chair, allowing her to rise up when speaking to people or to get a better view. Yasmin described her daughter as bubbly, sassy and very intelligent.

She added: "Recently she's been even more clever and I feel like it's to do with the chair. She's able to experience things she hasn't been able to."

You can donate to the Express Christmas appeal with Whizz Kidz here. Or send a cheque in an envelope marked "Daily Express" to Whizz Kidz, 30 Park Street, London, SE1 9EQ.

The impact of the equipment became clear this Halloween, when Harper was able to join in with other children for the first time.

Yasmin explained: "I was nearly in tears because she's never been able to got trick-or-treating. This year was the first time. The excitement she had from it, it made me so sad.

"Every child should have some kind of aid to be independent, because that's a key thing for development. Why should a child be in a pushchair until they get something on the NHS, or they get something on the NHS and it's not suitable?

"It's not only the child missing out on independence but also the parents missing out on that experience with that child."

Around 75,000 children and young adults need wheelchairs but those provided by the NHS can be too heavy to self-propel, unsuitable for outdoor use, or lack essential postural support.

Jake, who lives on Hayling Island near Portsmouth, spent two years on the NHS waiting list before being given a wheelchair that was too heavy for him to push.

He is thought to be the only person in the world to live with both Duchenne muscular dystrophy and achondroplasia, a genetic disorder which causes dwarfism. Whizz Kidz provided Jake with a small, lightweight chair around 18 months, which was swapped for a more robust one in August.

His mum Liz, 39, said: "Having a wheelchair changed his life. It was amazing because before that the only way he could move was by rolling around on the floor.

"Suddenly he had access to go where he wanted, when he wanted, without us having to carry him. He just got some independence. We put him in it and off he went. He just knew instinctively how to push it, and it was a super lightweight one so he found it really easy."

Jake, who is described by his mum as cheeky with a good sense of humour, also takes his wheelchair to school.

Liz added: "Whizz Kidz are amazing. Without them he would have been without a wheelchair until about two months ago. A four-and-a-half year old not being able to move around is not really suitable.

"Even now, he can't use the NHS one so they're basically saying he has to stay in a pushchair and he can't have the freedom of other children because he's a bit smaller."

The Express met Jake and Harper at a Whizz Kidz clinic where staff - including an engineer and mobility specialist - were fitting chairs and carrying out upgrades or maintenance.

Jake's wheelchair was fitted with mudguards and a lighter seat to make it even easier for him to push, while Harper had a harness fitted to make her feel more secure.

Schoolgirl Amber Martin, 8, also had some adjustments made to her powered wheelchair. She previously only had a manual one before finding Whizz Kidz two years ago.

Amber's dad Richard, 45, said: "We wanted her to have her independence. It was alright when she was really little but she wanted to get about and be free.

"She needed to make the transition to a powered chair and the NHS doesn't offer that until a certain age, I believe."

Amber, of Rustington in West Sussex, chose a pink colour scheme and has customised her chair with pink and purple seat covers and stickers. She uses it at school and while dancing on stage - one of her favourite hobbies.

Describing the difference the chair made to her life, Amber said simply: "Basically, I was able to do whatever I wanted."

Whizz Kidz provides specialist made-to-measure chairs costing on average £4,800. It also funds wheelchair skills classes to help children get used to their new equipment and organises group trips and activity days where they can try their hand at rock climbing, wheelchair rugby and more.

Writing in the Express today, Whizz Kidz chief executive Sarah Pugh describes the decision to close the waiting list - which stands at more than 1,000 children - as "heartbreaking".

She adds: "Every day they wait is a day of childhood lost. A day missing out on games with friends. A day watching school trips from the sidelines. A day feeling left behind. This is not the childhood they deserve."

• You can donate to the Express Christmas appeal here. Or send a cheque in an envelope marked "Daily Express" to Whizz Kidz, 30 Park Street, London, SE1 9EQ.

This Christmas, as families across the country come together, thousands of young wheelchair users will be waiting - waiting to play, to explore, to join in, to simply be children.

At Whizz Kidz, we exist to make sure they don't have to wait. But today, we are facing the most urgent crisis in our 35-year history.

Demand for life-changing mobility equipment has surged, while costs have soared. The result is heartbreaking: for the first time ever, we have had to close our waiting list.

Right now, thousands of children are facing delays of up to 18 months before they can even be assessed for the wheelchair that would give them independence, confidence and - crucially - freedom.

Every day they wait is a day of childhood lost. A day missing out on games with friends. A day watching school trips from the sidelines. A day feeling left behind. This is not the childhood they deserve.

That is why we have launched our Childhood Can't Wait appeal. We urgently need to raise £750,000 to reopen our waiting list and begin reducing the backlog.

And with £1.2 million a year, we could provide hundreds more children with the mobility equipment that allows them not just to get by, but to thrive. This is why the support of the Daily Express this Christmas means so much.

The Express has a proud history of backing causes that change lives, and its decision to stand alongside Whizz Kidz will help us reach families who are waiting in hope - and donors whose generosity can turn that hope into freedom.

By giving this appeal a national platform, the Express is helping us get children out of pain, out of isolation and back into the world where they belong: playing, learning, laughing and taking their place in life.

To everyone at the Express, and to every reader moved by the stories you will see in the coming weeks: thank you. You are helping us make sure children don't spend one day longer than necessary waiting for the mobility equipment they desperately need.

Time is the one thing these young people cannot afford to lose. With your support, we can give them independence today-not tomorrow, not someday. Because childhood can't wait.

- Sarah Pugh, Whizz Kidz chief executive