Worksop mum wants you to support the disabled children's charity which provided her son with a safe place to sleep

Kelli Martin has seven-year-old twin boys, William and Leon, who both have severe autism, learning difficulties, ADHD and absolutely no awareness of danger.

William, who also has a sleep disorder, is more mobile than Leon and highly impulsive, leading to a number of terrifying situations, including him setting fire to a tea towel on the hob and climbing to try and escape through his bedroom window.

Kelli turned to Newlife, the charity for disabled children’s emergency equipment loan service, in desperation to keep her family safe through the night.

The specialist equipment loaned by Newlife for William, which is called a Safespace Voyager, means he is safe even when he’s awake through the night, so the rest of the household can sleep more easily too knowing he’s not putting himself, or them, in danger.

Kelli, from Worksop, said: “William doesn’t sleep much and he likes the feeling of dangling, so he will get out of bed and climb up to the curtain poles or swing from the light fitting.

“I have a bespoke extra tall child gate, but William just climbs over it. He also likes to wake Leon and they broke four beds in the last year.

“Although Leon is less mobile, he is a choke risk as he will put everything in his mouth.

“I can’t give each child my full attention at the same time, so when I’m sorting out one, the other is at risk. I urgently needed a bed for William that I could put him in and know he was not in danger if he was awake.

“It’s unbelievable how tired and stressed I have been, but I feel more like a human now and I’m able to parent both twins much better instead of William receiving the majority of my attention all the time.”

She has now pleaded with people to support the charity’s Covid-19 Response Appeal launched to help it cope with increased demand from other families in crisis and is contacting her MP to raise awareness of the charity’s plight.

For more information and to make a donation visit www.newlife.support/COVID-19Appeal.