A CHARITY has stepped in to help a little boy with complex sensory needs who is still waiting for a specialist bed after spending months sleeping on a mattress.

Blake Lee’s cot was taken away from his home in Sunnybrow, County Durham, in March after he almost fell out for the second time.

Two months later and the five-year-old, who has Down’s syndrome, sight problems and is unable to talk or walk unassisted, is still sleeping on a mattress on the floor.

When Kevin Hill, of County Durham charity Bringing Back a Smile, heard of the family’s plight, he set about organising a fundraising night at Willington Working Men’s Club on September 22. If the bed is in place by then, the money raised will be spent on sensory toys.

Mr Hill said: “I’m sure Willington will come out in force to support Blake. Tickets are selling fast.”

Blake’s mother, Heather Carr, said she first alerted occupational therapists at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust that her son was having problems with his cot last summer.

She said it was agreed he needed a high-sided cot but law changes surrounding children’s liberty delayed matters. And because Blake’s needs are so complex, with the youngster often banging his head off walls, he required a custom made cot priced at £5,000.

Blake’s father, Simon Lee, works full time and the family pay for a lot of Blake’s equipment but this was too expensive. So for the last two months, Mr Lee watching over his son at night to keep him safe, before going to work exhausted.

Miss Carr, who feeds her twin babies during the night, is exhausted from the stress of it all.

A spokesperson for the Foundation Trust, said: “We empathise with Ms Carr and her family and our children’s occupational therapy service has worked closely with them to meet Blake’s care needs. We have placed a request with our provider for a cot bed with specific individual design features and we are told that this should be delivered by mid-June.”

  • Tickets for the fundraising night, featuring Freddy Mercury tribute Billy West, cost £7 from the club or by calling 07951113600 or 07518960911. Donations of raffle and tombola prizes are also welcome. To find out more, visit bringingbackasmile.co.uk