Local heroes are sought to help raise funds for two Chester boys who are both in desperate need of essential disability equipment.

Newlife, the charity for disabled children, has stepped in to help with the appeal.

Six-year-old Riley Williams has cerebral palsy and epilepsy – he has spent his entire life without a comfortable place to sit. Riley has to lie on the floor of the family’s living room in order to get some respite from the confines of his wheelchair because his local statutory services won’t fund a specialist seat that will keep him comfortable and supported.

Riley has a curve in his spine which is likely to worsen without proper support, so lying on the floor just to get some comfort is far from ideal.

His mum Kate who was faced with having to find the £2,166 needed to buy Riley his seat, said: “Riley’s epilepsy has totally changed his personality. The only place he feels calm is in his sensory room, but without a comfortable chair he can only spend a short amount of time there.

“There is nowhere near enough support out there for families with disabled children. Our Occupational Therapist has been great but we were told to contact Newlife directly because there isn’t the funding available for comfortable seating.”

Newlife is also trying to raise £2,255 for 12-year-old Daniel Hall who needs a specialist buggy so he can leave the house in safety. Daniel is deaf and partially sighted – he can’t walk far and relies on his buggy to get out of the house. But when he outgrew his buggy, the replacement wheelchair provided by his local statutory services, would tip over every time it hit a minor bump, leaving Daniel too distressed and anxious to go outside.

Daniel’s mum Helen said: “We were told that statutory services wouldn’t fund the larger sized buggy and that we had to have the wheelchair instead, but it is very heavy and difficult to push, especially on Chester’s cobbled streets. It constantly felt like it would tip over – I was very worry worried about Daniel being hurt.

“We’ve stopped using it because it just doesn’t seem safe so we have given it to Daniel’s school to use if they go on a trip, but his occupational therapist at the school doesn’t feel it is suitable either.”

Unfortunately, Daniel and Riley aren’t alone – there are 15 children in Cheshire with equipment needs totalling £5,905.

Newlife’s head of charity operations Stephen Morgan said: “We really want to help change Riley and Daniel’s lives, and those of the other children in Cheshire who need our help. We are calling on local people groups, clubs and companies to get involved, donate or fundraise for Newlife so that these children can get what they need. All Riley wants is to be comfortable – all Daniel wants is to be able to leave his house safely – is that too much to ask?”

If you think you can help by donating or fundraising, please visit www.newlife.co.uk. Alternatively contact a member of the Newlife team on 01543 462777 or email local@newlifecharity.co.uk.

Any funds raised over the amount needed for Daniel or Riley will be used to help other disabled or terminally ill children in Cheshire.