Help Charlie's boys enjoy their garden safely

Many of us will know Forres loon Charlie Ross who joined in Munster 1988 and left in 2000; he was mostly MT for his career including the Queen’s Own Highlanders and The Highlanders. Charlie was a member of the  Advance Party to the Gulf as well as tours in NI, USA and Germany.

Now a civilian working part time as a School run taxi driver, Charlie has two sons with severe disabilities. Laughlan (7) has high functioning Autism, global learning delay and severe learning difficulties as well as sensory processing disorder. Louis (5) has hydrocephalus, hemiplegia, cereal palsy, epilepsy and brain damage and Charlie is his main carer.

The main issue for them at home is that they are unable to access their garden safely. Here’s the cunning plan. A local garden landscaper has given Charlie a substantial discount for a project to add drainage and then artificial grass over the whole garden area. This means the boys can play in the garden without any fear of injury or infection.

Unfortunately, the Association isn’t allowed to make direct grants and whilst we’ve applied to SSAFA when the requested help is not for the actual soldier, it is often difficult and more so in lockdown when requests are at a record high. 

Please, even if it’s only a fiver, can you drop something into the pot to help Charlie’s boys get outside. We’ve all been cooped up for so long but even when lockdown ends, unless they get a new safe play area and garden, the boys will have to stay inside when at home.

We don’t do these often but when we do, the Cabarfeidh Family always come through. Thank you.