Well done to all those who helped Archie to smile

The smile on Archie Cleaver’s face says it all. He is clearly delighted with a garden makeover that, in the words of his delighted mum, has transformed his whole world. Archie, aged 10, has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, the result of a traumatic birth that left him needing emergency resuscitation to save his life.

He loves being outdoors, but, although his house has been adapted to meet his needs, the garden was uneven and inaccessible to him. It meant he could only be ‘parked’ in the corner and was unable to explore the space around him, even with his parents’ help.

The family support charity WellChild heard about Archie, and wanted to help, but sadly, the pandemic got in the way.

Now, three years after Archie’s mum Victoria approached WellChild, the garden has been transformed into a haven for Archie to enjoy.

WellChild staff member Kieran Cullen and a team of ten volunteers from businesses across the area shifted more than ten tonnes of earth to make the garden more accessible over the course of just 48 hours.

The volunteers spent two days levelling off the ground, installing a large decking area and accessible ramps, and then beginning to lay new artificial turf.

Fareham property finance firm Propp raised more than £14,000 for WellChild, with each garden transformation project costing the organisation around £8,000.

Archie’s delighted mum said: ‘I never thought it would be this good. It will make all the difference with our quality of life.

‘If Archie could live outside he would. It calms him down when he’s stressed.’

It’s a heartwarming story and shows what a remarkable difference the efforts of charities like WellChild can make.

They deserve every penny they can get. Congratulations to everybody who worked so hard to bring that smile to Archie’s face.