RAINWORTH: Ryan’s courage is mum’s inspiration

The newly-installed facility at Alphabet House in Farnsfield will benefit Sallyann Charlton’s 16-month-old, Ryan Black, along with a host of other children, particularly those with special needs.

Sallyann says she has received ‘great community support’ for a series of events held over the past year.

They have included a sponsored 31-mile walk, a black tie ball, sponsored body and leg waxes, a fun day and a eight-strong sponsored team in the Robin Hood Half Marathon.

And because there was money left over from the fund-raising efforts - which also enable the family to buy a heart monitor for Ryan - she has been able to donate money to other children’s charities Keep the Beat and Heart Link.

“There’s been so much going on and I can’t thank people enough for getting involved; people who I’d never met before I put out appeal in the Chad last year,” said Sallyann.

“Having the heart monitor at home has been so great because it means Ryan doesn’t need to go into hospital quite so much, and the sensory room is something all the kids will love.”

Ryan was born in August 2012 with an incurable condition that has since seen him twice have open heart surgery - once at seven days and again at six months.

He has also had other investigative and corrective operations and is due to have a third and final open heart procedure between the age of three and four.

Sallyann added: “We are told Ryan will be lucky to make it into his teenage years, but we always live in hope that there will be developments in medicine and technology and we try not to worry about that too much yet.”

Paul Baxter, manager at Alphabet House, says the sensory room has been very well received by the children so far.

She said: “It’s an amazing facility and we’re very lucky to have something like this - it will make such a difference.

“All the children will benefit from it, from the age of six weeks right up to the four-year-olds.”