This week, we’d like to help an 8 year old boy called Cooper

Cooper has just recovered from kidney cancer. He is autistic, has a severe learning disability and is non-verbal. He’s having ongoing monitoring at Great Ormond Street and is still at high risk of infection.

Cooper goes to a special school, which caters beautifully to his needs, but at home it’s a real struggle. His mum is a single parent and cares for both Cooper and his older sister on her own.

Cooper has a huge amount of energy but no sense of danger. He’s very strong for his age, loves to run and climb and only feels calm when he’s outside. He’s also very sensory-oriented and puts most things he picks up into his mouth.

At school, he has a safe outside space filled with sensory equipment. But at home their garden is bare dirt. His mum said, ‘I’ve been told I should try to replicate the support Cooper has at school in our home, but I need help.’ They were placed in their property in July, and she has spent a lot of time clearing it of rocks or other things he might put into his mouth, but it is still not at all safe or suitable for Cooper to use.

His teacher said: “Cooper really needs a safe environment where he has space to run around. He is most content when he is accessing our outdoor spaces at school. He doesn’t like being confined in the house.”

His support worker said: “His family are devoted to Cooper but they are exhausted. I think they are all deserving of some kindness.”

We’d like to raise the funds needed to make the garden safe and fun for Cooper to make life better for him. We’d also like to provide some toys for his sister and a gift for his mum too.