Paulton residents have joined forces with local mum, Zoe-Mae Burlton, to help her fundraise for a safespace for her autistic son, Harry.

Harry, who is six, has no awareness of danger due to his autism. Because of this, his family would like to buy a ‘safespace’, a special custom made safe room or sleep area, which can be used at home and will last into his adult life. Safespaces come with soft, padded walls and can make a huge difference to a person with safety issues, poor sleep patterns or behavioural difficulties.

Having one in the family home, would be a huge help, as it would help keep Harry safe at night, but the family need to raise £8,000 to purchase one.

Zoe, who also has a two-year-old daughter, Eva, who is under investigation for autism, said: “Harry has the mental development of less than twelve months, which means he cannot communicate and has very little understanding. A safespace will keep Harry completely safe through the night as he is not aware of danger.

“He will not be able to touch anything he shouldn’t, like pulling carpets apart and picking paint off the walls. He will not be able to touch wires or plugs or pull furniture onto himself.

“The safespace can also be used even when Harry is an adult, so it is very future proof and this will benefit him for most of his life.”

Terry and Caroline Wynne, at the Friends of Paulton Hospital Charity Shop in the High Street, are keen to help Harry and his family and will be running a tombola in the shop to help raise additional funds. Residents are encouraged to look out for charity boxes in the area.

So far, the campaign’s gofundme page has over £850 in donations towards Harry’s safespace.

If you would like to find out more about Harry, or to help his family reach their target to make his life safer, please go online to: http://www.gofundme.com/8zf7ja8zbc or pop into the Friends of Paulton Hospital Charity shop where they will be pleased to see you.