On Sunday 14th March Mark Cuthbert-Brown, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire together with the Mayor of Wrekin & Telford Amrik Jhawar visited Jule’s Convenience Store in Hadley, Telford to draw the raffle. Owner Julie Kaur had organised the raffle to raise funds towards the purchase of an all terrain powered wheelchair for 10 year old local resident Noah Stevenson-Lea.
Noah was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy aged three but started to struggle to walk during the coronavirus lockdown.
Mum Sally Stevenson-Lea said Noah could not run around in the playground any longer and was worried about falling over.
“He’s got a good bunch of friends that he’s known since nursery and they are really good with him,” she said. “But he can’t join in with everything so he stands at the sidelines and tends to watch. The powered all terrain chair will open up his world again and let him join in.”
Noah is taking part in a clinical trial at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool to develop a drug to repair muscles in children who have muscular dystrophy.
Mrs Stevenson-Lea, from Lawley in Telford, said she had been “overwhelmed” by the support for their campaign to raise £20,000 for the all terrain wheelchair.
Store owner Julie was delighted that the support of the local community exceeded their target of £1000 and had raised £1800 towards the appeal. Following the draw she and her family accompanied by the Vice Lord-Lieutenant and the Mayor visited neighbouring Haybridge Hall sheltered housing estate to distribute cakes to help them celebrate Mothers Day.
Photographed left to right
Vice Lord-Lieutenant, Mark Cuthbert-Brown, Local resident Cllr Leon Murray MBE DL, Mayor Amrik Jhawar and proprietors of the shop, Julie Kaur and her husband