Call to help Ludlow boy, 4, get his play garden

Toby Morris was born with cerebral palsy and also suffers from life-threatening epilepsy and cannot play outside unassisted.

But his wish is to have a wheelchair-friendly garden to go out to with friends, and a charity is now calling for supporters to rally round to help make it a reality.

Make-A-Wish Foundation UK has started a campaign to raise £10,000 for a garden makeover for Toby after volunteers visited him and parents Matthew and Nicky Morris.

Toby's mum Nicky said: "The wish will be life-changing for Toby.

"He'll be able to have friends round to play and we'd be able to control the environment, pre-empting and preventing his known seizure triggers.

"The plan is to clear the garden and secure the swing with some artificial grass around it so Toby can access it all year round."

She added: "Then there'll be the noise and movement of running water, and some bespoke outdoor toys – things he can bash and swing his arms at, so he can make his own music out there.

"There will also be raised flower beds with some sensory plants and things that he can reach from his chair that he can either smell or touch.

"This will help Toby's development, there's nowhere else he can access this so it would be magical.

"This would be immeasurable not only to Toby and his ability to play with his sister, but for our time together as a family," she said.

Toby was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at just a few months old, she added.

"We went away, did the usual crying and questioning and then gave ourselves the obligatory slap in the face and just got on with life," Mrs Morris said.

But before his first birthday there was more shocking news as it was revealed he also had West's Syndrome, a type of epilepsy in children that is difficult to treat.

Mrs Morris said she was aware that it all sounded very gloomy, but Toby was not a gloomy child.

"At nearly five years of age he is a happy, cheeky and an extremely determined young man.

"Toby was our first child, so we didn't know any different.

"It's not a horrible life – it's difficult and it's got its challenges, but you can't think about that."

Mrs Morris added: "You just have to think about today and enjoy whatever time you've got.

"To do that, we try to make sure that life isn't taken over by his condition and that he can still have fun," she said.

She added that the sensory garden would help immensely with that, especially as Toby could not play in public parks and play areas as they do not have the right equipment.

To donate visit campaign.justgiving.com/charity/makeawish/tobys-wish or visit www.make-a-wish.org.uk to find out more.