Giant steps for brave Ria at new £30k playground
A LITTLE girl who was once told she would never walk has taken her first steps on a climbing frame.
Ria Stonehouse, ten, who has cerebral palsy, recently underwent lifechanging surgery in America, which has allowed her to walk without a frame.
The youngster, from Dukinfield, was the focus of a huge fundraising drive to send her to the States for the pioneering operation. And after her surgery, Ria is now able to join other children on the new £30,000 nursery playground at Clockwork Nursery in Audenshaw.
She said: “I love the playground, it’s really good. I think the garden is my favourite part.”
Mum Michelle says Ria will be able to continue developing her physical skills in the new playground, which was installed by Creative Play.
She said: “Ria was born prematurely and as a result, was diagnosed with diplegic cerebral palsy.
“When she was five, the community helped us raise £50,000 for her to have a special operation on her spine, called a selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), at the St Louis children’s hospital in Missouri, which gave the ability to walk without relying on a wheelchair.
“Since then, she’s had intense physio and still uses walking sticks but we are trying to get her down to one before she starts high school.
“The playground is fantastic and will really help Ria’s progression.
“She’s come a long way in the five years since her operation but it will help her push her boundaries.”
Michelle, who is also the manager at the nursery, said the playground will help to build up her daughter’s muscle-strength and encourage her to try new challenges. She added: “We make sure Ria doesn’t have an ‘I can’t’ attitude, the playground has some good challenges for her.”
Ria, a St Mary’s Primary School pupil, was the young VIP guest at the official opening of the playground, which also boasts a hobbit house and a secret fairy garden.
She was joined by radio DJ Chelsea Norris and her daughter, Minnie, and Ashton-under-Lyne’s MP Angela Rayner for the special event.
Creative Play design director, Tom Biggs, said: “We hope Ria and the other children have lots of fun playing in it.”