A little boy from Radstock has had the gift of independence given to him, thanks to Time is Precious, after the Coleford charity was approached by Mason’s late mother to see if an electric wheelchair could be funded.

Last September, Time is Precious expanded its work in hospital wards to help local children who were in need in their own homes.

Neil Halford, from Time is Precious, told The Journal: “We have now supplied seven individuals with a different range of equipment, including eye gaze communication equipment and sensory, walking and seating aids.”

One young local boy who has felt the goodwill of the work that the charity does is six-year-old, Mason, who has Mucopolysaccharidosis, which is a rare genetic disorder that affects many of his body’s systems.

Neil added: “We are so pleased to provide young Mason with his own electric wheelchair as part of Time is Precious’ Ben’s Gift, Help at Home.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Bottomline Technology Ltd sponsor this piece of equipment, to whom we are very grateful.

“Mason’s Mum approached us last year, when we launched Help at Home, to see if we could get him an electric wheelchair for home.

“Unfortunately, she sadly passed away, unexpectedly and suddenly, last Christmas.“Mason has since had to have further surgery for his spine, therefore the equipment was put on hold for the short term.“He already had a chair for school, which was funded, but because he did not have one for home, it meant that his independence was taken away from him where he needed it the most.“Time is Precious were determined to fulfil Mason’s wish to give him the independence that his Mum and Dad so wanted him to have at home.“We are currently supplying lots of sensory and interactive equipment to the hospital wards, and we are refurbishing the Royal United Hospital Children’s Garden. The charity is also supplying a specialised TV/ DVD player for the RUH MRI Scanner.“We have had another amazing year, and we would like to thank everyone who has supported us in 2019 to make such a difference to our hospitals and local children.“Merry Christmas from everyone at the Time is Precious charity.”Neil and Nicky Halford set up Time is Precious in 2011, following the death of their five-year-old son, Ben.Having spent three-and-a-half years in and out of hospital, the couple realised that there was little or no funding for equipment to help make a child’s experience less stressful and more comfortable, and to help support the siblings and families who would be spending time alongside them.For more information on all of the good work that the charity does locally, visit: www.timeisprecious.org