The family of a disabled boy have been gifted the perfect Christmas present - a new home.
Four-year-old Alfie Cairney was left with disabilities after contracting E.coli in 2013.
Since then his parents Bev and Steve have struggled to adapt their home with the specialist equipment their son needs.
Now the family have been given the greatest gift of a new home fully equipped for little Alfie.
The move to Bollington was spearhead by Sophie Robinson, housing officer for Peaks and Plains Housing Trust, who found the house and with no budget to help the family refurbish the property, called in a few favours.
After hearing of Alfie’s plight local firms Mick’s Mini Transport, Factory Carpets and Beds, Bells Group, Tomboy Plastering, Hurdsfield Timber and M&S Developments offered the services for free and worked around the clocked to allow the family to move in time for Christmas.
Alfie’s mum Bev Russon said: “It has been a very difficult few years for our family and we’ve been overwhelmed by the support. The gift of a new home, completely refurbished, is beyond anything we could have wished for. Sophie has gone above and beyond. For complete strangers to go the efforts they have to help us is lovely. It is the perfect Christmas present.”
Alfie was just two years old when he was struck down by E.coli. The infection caused brain damage, caused irreparable damage to his kidneys and left him disabled.
After more than nine months in hospital Alfie returned to the family home in Hurdsfield which had been adapted for his needs thanks to community fundraising.
But as Alfie started to grow it became clear the family needed more help.
Bev said: “His wheelchair couldn’t get through the doorways and there wasn’t enough space for his physiotherapy. The plan was to adapt the house in Hurdsfield and move us to Bollington as a temporary measure, which I didn’t want to do, but as soon as I walked into the new house I realised it was an ideal fit. It has been a tough decision uprooting the family, but it’s the right thing to do for us all. Alfie can now move freely, he has his own room and bathroom, he can now join the family at the dinner table.
“There’s even a playground down the road with a wheelchair accessible roundabout, so Alfie can play with his sister Ellie-Mai.”
