Fun day plan to buy special bath for Alanna

A mother is organising a fundraising day to help buy buy a therapeutic bath for her disabled daughter.

Miss Lisa Brown, of Wolsey Close, Newark,wants to provide a bath with spa bubbles and lights for her daughter, Alanna, 8, a pupil at the Orchard School, Newark. The bath will cost £2,100.

Alanna was born prematurely at 24 weeks and suffered a brain haemorrhage that left her with serious medical problems including cerebral palsy, epilepsy and scoliosis of the spine.

Miss Brown is extending her home to create a new downstairs bathroom for Alanna who is now too heavy to be carried upstairs and cannot use a chairlift due to her epilepsy.

Miss Brown said baths were therapeutic for Alanna as she suffered from muscle tension.

Alanna is unable to have a bath at home and is currently having bed baths and a weekly bath at Caudwell House, Southwell, which provides respite care for youngsters with serious disabilities.

Miss Brown said: “For the whole of her life Alanna has had a bath seven nights a week because it relaxes her muscles so much and it also relaxes her because she gets over-sensitised as well.

“Alanna can’t talk and, as so often with children who can’t talk, while they are going through the step of learning sign language they can get very frustrated.

“For Alanna sometimes it is head-banging, pulling her hair and general self- harm but taking her to have a bath loosens her up.”

Miss Brown said Alanna, a full-time wheelchair user, faced further surgery to fuse her spine to prevent her scoliosis from damaging her internal organs.

“With her complex medical needs it means Alanna has a shortened life span so I’m just trying to do everything things as comfortable and nice for her as far as I can,” said Miss Brown.

“We’re just doing what we can. Once we have this bath she won’t want to get out of it.”

The fundraising event, to be held at Everyday Champions Church, Newark, on Saturday, November 30, will include a table top sale, bouncy castles, sensory toys and a boxing display by former European and Commonwealth boxing champion Esham Pickering.

There will be a raffle with prizes including a car valet, spiritual reading and giant cupcake.

Tickets for the raffle are available from AJs Newsagents, Newark, and at the event.

A second raffle with prizes including personal training with champion body builders, NRG anabolic mass gainer and John Hodgson workout DVD and signed photo, is also being held. Tickets are available from the Industrial Strength Gym, Newark.

Anyone wishing to donate or to hold a stall at the event should contact Miss Brown on 07808 858150.

A Facebook group called Alanna’s Bubbles has been set up with more information.