A TAUNTON family whose son suffers from epilepsy are backing a campaign to provide specialist equipment for disabled and terminally ill children in the county.

Two-year old Rowan Ireland was born prematurely and developed viral meningitis which resulted in brain damage, cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

He needed a specially padded, high-sided bed which can be tilted to aid his breathing and prevents him from injuring himself during night-time seizures.

But when mum Lindsay and dad Phil were unable to meet the £3,500 cost, they were helped by the UK's leading children's disability charity, Newlife.

Now the couple, who have two other children, are urging people in Taunton to support the charity which has launched the Newlife Somerset Fund.

Lyndsay said: “Rowan has a lot of night-time seizures. The way he was thrashing around in his old wooden cot he was regularly damaging parts of his body.

"We put him in a mesh-sided travel cot but this wasn't big enough and it was hard to monitor him, which is something we need to do because he often stops breathing."

Lindsay approached the Newlife Foundation for help with funding a specialist padded, high sided bed. Statutory services provided a voucher for £1,500, with Newlife funding the balance of £3,500.

Lindsay said: “Rowan goes through phases. He will have eight to ten weeks of relatively good health and then six weeks of bad.

"During those six weeks Phil and I take it in turns to sleep with him so we can monitor his breathing. I go in with Rowan until 3am then Phil takes over.

"I get a few hours sleep before getting up with the other children at 6am.”

“Having this specialist bed is a huge help because Rowan doesn't injure himself during the night any more. It is a safe space for him.”

Stephen Morgan, Head of Operations at Newlife said the charity had seen an increase in the number of requests for help from Somerset families.

He added: “Right now, there are seven children in Somerset with disabilities or terminal illness who need help to get the specialist disability equipment that will change their lives.

"That's why we have set up a Somerset Fund so that every penny donated or raised in the county is used to support families here.

“Newlife has already helped 130 children in Somerset through equipment grants and loans totalling more than £210,800, so we know there is a very real need for a specific county fund. In this way we aim to help more children, more quickly.”