"This would help me cope with my feet that hurt all the time and I could chill in the pool with my friends and not feel left out. I can't do lots of the things they do but I am happy in water" - Albie

Albie, our lovely and brave 8-year-old, was born with a rare genetic skin condition called Epidermolysis Bullosa Weber Cockayne Syndrome. He has very fragile skin which blisters easily. This affects his whole body and his blisters are deep and need cutting and dressing on a daily basis. His skin is constantly inflamed and he is often in great pain and struggles to walk, particularly with heat and friction. He needs to use a computer at school to stop his fingers blistering.

As Albie is getting older (and therefore heavier) it is harder for him to stand with the increased pressure on his feet, particularly in summer months, and he has recently got a wheelchair to help him get around. Because of his condition he misses a lot of school and other activities his friends do – sports, parties, going out – and he currently spends a lot of time inside to prevent further pain and blistering.

Whilst Albie has a positive outlook on life, he does struggle to manage the pain he experiences and notices how different he is to his friends. His physical development and emotional wellbeing are impacted and we want to do all we can to find ways to support him to thrive through his childhood.

We are therefore crowdfunding for a hydrotherapy pool adapted specifically to help Albie’s skin. It has salt water and a chiller unit and low levels of chemicals. This hydrotherapy pool would make a huge difference to Albie’s quality of life – soothing for his skin, speeding healing, allowing socialisation without pain, helping his emotional wellbeing and muscle development.

The cost of the pool is £22,000. We have been trying to work out how to raise the funds and have the following so far:

• We have approached some charities who have agreed grants of £1400.

• Albie has also been saving his Disabled Living Allowance for the last three years to pay for some of it and is hoping to be able to contribute £5000.

•His teenage brothers are also keen to help Albie and are giving some of the money they earn teaching music to younger children which will add up to £200.

• So, we already have £6600

We are therefore looking for a crowdfunding target of 15,400

Thank you so much for your support. This would mean the world to Albie.

Sarah and Al (Albie’s parents)

7.5% of all donations to Tree of Hope in relation to this appeal will be allocated to the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope to cover our core operating costs.

If we raise insufficient funds, or surplus funds, then the funds will be used, if appropriate, to fund support for our child’s needs in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objects. If in those circumstances we are unable to use all or part of the funds for the benefit of our child in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objectives, then any funds that cannot be used will be transferred to be used for the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.