Raising funds to give Alice a bright future

Alice Hake, three, from Salterhebble, Halifax, was just months old when she was diagnosed with the developmental disability.

The brave tot, who is visually impaired, will never be able to walk and her dedicated family is now fundraising to buy the equipment she vitally needs.

They undertook the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge - Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough - earlier in the month as part of this plight - managing to take the total raised to nearly £1,400.

Alice’s dad Aaron Hake took part in the charity walk, with Gail and Alice joining in for a small section.

Speaking about the challenges her daughter faces on a daily basis, Alice’s mum Gail Broadbent, 34, said: “We’re raising money to give Alice a better future - we want to her to have everything she needs.

“For a lot of things provided through the NHS, there’s a massive battle or a massive waiting list.

“Alice needs postural support 24-hours a day and needs to be in stable equipment, whether that’s a frame or chair, or a sleep system at nighttime.

“Everything is a fight. We have been waiting for 10 weeks for a new sleep system.

“That means she has been laying with bad posture for 10 weeks. I know that if we could raise enough money, we could go out and buy these pieces of equipment.”

As Alice grows up, her family also hope to raise money for regular physiotherapy sessions and other items she may need to help her development and posture - preventing the need for operations later in life.

Gail has now set up a support group for families in similar situations. It runs at St Jude’s Church Hall, Savile Park, on the first weekend of every month.

Visit Alice’s fund at: www.gofundme.com/96u59g.