Mum pushes for ‘mandatory safety checks' at play parks after son fractures spine
Axel Potts, of Whitehaven, was playing on the equipment at St Bees play park on May 8 when he fell onto matting which his mum, Kerry Potts said was 'severely worn', with 'metal links' exposed.
Axel, who has non-verbal autism, was taken to hospital and it was discovered he had suffered a small spinal fracture. He is now awaiting an appointment with the orthopaedics team.
Axel Potts, of Whitehaven, who has non-verbal autism, next to the climbing frame at St Bees play park (Image: Submitted)
Kerry has set up a petition pushing for mandatory health and safety checks for all children's play parks every three months, amid fears that the state of equipment is putting children at risk of serious injuries.
St Bees Parish Council, which is responsible for the play park at St Bees, said weekly safety checks are already carried out by volunteers and councillors and a 'more technical' monthly check is carried out by Cumberland Council.
Repair work has since been undertaken on the matting by Cumberland Council.
Recalling what happened when Axel fell, Kerry said: 'He was climbing down from the top of the wooden pirate frame and fell backwards from a bit of a height. The flooring of the park and the safety padding isn't well maintained.
'We took him straight to the hospital. He's got a small compression fracture. Because of his autism, Axel doesn't really show pain. The doctor was surprised he was still walking and running round.
'It's made him more wary. He's a very energetic little boy. Because of his autism, the sea is his calming place. He loves the sea.'
New matting has been installed by Cumberland Council on part of the area around the climbing frame at St Bees play park (Image: Submitted)
She said Cumberland Council had repaired the area of matting which had metal links sticking out but the part where Axel fell was still hard worn and would not cushion a fall.
Doug Sim, chairman of St Bees Parish Council, said: 'We do have quite a strict regime of safety checks. Every week, all the equipment is given a visual check by a rota of councillors and volunteers. They do it against a detailed check sheet.
'On top of that, every month we have a more technical check by Cumberland Council, at a higher level. Then we have an annual report by an independent assessor. We get a detailed report of the whole play area.
'We got to know about this via a post on Facebook. The next day we did an assessment of the site and later in the day we applied some rubber padding around what we thought was the cause of the problem.
'There were some metal links which were part of a piece of play equipment that had already been there. We put some rubber round them as a temporary solution. Later in the week, Cumberland Council installed a new piece of mat.
'This is the first time we have seen this type of accident.'
A Cumberland Council spokesperson said: 'At the request of St Bees Parish Council, who manage the play area, we undertook some repair work on the matting. This work has been completed.'
To sign Kerry's petition for enhanced safety protocols to be put in place at all play parks, go to: www.change.org/p/mandate-safety-checks-for-children-s-play-parks-every-3-months
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Man in care fulfils dream of overseas holiday as mum left 'emotional'
A man was able to travel abroad for the first time thanks to his hard-working care team. Luke, who is a resident at Oakwood Gardens in Staffordshire, lives with a diagnosis of autism, learning difficulties, psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Since moving into the premises back in 2019, Luke has always wanted to go on holiday to another country. READ MORE: Police issue CCTV appeal after man 'punched and kicked to the head' in vicious attack But he required two-to-one care at the time and so his team put together a plan to help him reach his goal. Cygnet Social Care staff worked tirelessly to help him and in 2024, he was able to step on to a plane for the first time as he jetted off to Mallorca. Luke is now planning his next trip to Gran Canaria this summer. A spokesperson for Cygnet Social Care said: "By 2022, Luke's progress was remarkable. "He had successfully transitioned to 1:1 support in the community, a milestone that reflected his increasing independence and emotional growth. "In 2023, Luke faced a setback when a change in medication affected his mental health. "However, rather than letting this derail him, Luke, supported by staff, embraced a new focus on physical health, losing over three stone through healthy eating and regular gym sessions. "This enabled him to safely return to the medication that supported his mental wellbeing." To prepare for his ultimate dream, the team organised short UK breaks to gradually build his resilience to travel and change. These trips proved transformative, a spokesperson for Cygnet Social Care said. Then, in May 2024, the dream became real. Luke boarded a plane for the very first time and travelled to Mallorca, accompanied by his service manager and a support worker. From the sunshine to the hotel's evening entertainment, Luke embraced every moment. The impact was profound, not just for Luke, but for his family. His mother was overwhelmed with emotion and pride at how far her son had come. Luke returned home with memories to last a lifetime and a new sense of pride and self-belief. And now, Luke will soon embark on his next overseas adventure, this time to Gran Canaria. With a dolphin experience and a full itinerary planned, Luke is already counting down the days. Leanne Squire, manager of Oakwood Gardens said: 'His story is a shining example of the transformative power of personalised support, belief, and compassion, and perfectly embodies the heart of Cygnet Social Care's 'Hopes and Dreams' campaign. 'Luke's journey is not only inspirational, it's a powerful reminder that with the right support, even the most ambitious dreams can come true. 'We are incredibly proud of him and the team at Oakwood Gardens for making this milestone possible.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Cyclist recalls moment he was paralysed from neck down in crash
A CYCLIST who was seriously injured while riding his mountain bike in Cumbria has reunited, six years later, with the pilot who flew him to hospital. Gijs Verkerk, 52, from The Hague, in the Netherlands, was taking part in the coast-to-coast cycle ride, starting in Whitehaven, when the front wheel of his bike got stuck in a hole, causing him to fall over his handlebars and land badly on his arms and chest. Recalling the aftermath, he said: 'As I was lying down on the ground, fully conscious, I noticed that I could not feel or move my body and limbs from the neck down. "This scared me a lot as I believed I had paraplegia and would be paralysed for the rest of my life. 'When one of my friends came down to help me, he first made some typical jokes about falling off my bike, but that quickly turned around when I explained I could not move my limbs.' Two of his friends went to get help as their mobile phones couldn't get a signal, while his other two friends stayed by his side. Gijs and friends taking part in the Coast to Coast in May 2019. (Image: Supplied) He said: 'After a while, Robin, who stayed with me the whole time, told me that he saw one of my feet moving. I cannot express how much of a relief that was, as that made me realise I might be able to recover from my injuries.' Mr Verkerk sustained two broken wrists, a broken chest bone, some broken ribs, his neck broken in two places and spinal injuries which caused paralysis. Both the critical care team from the Great North Air Ambulance Service and the Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team attended the scene of the incident, which happened on May 16, 2019. Gijs taking part in the Coast to Coast in May 2019 (Image: Supplied) He said: 'I believe John the doctor was taking the lead. He was extremely clear and very comforting. I remember that within a few moments I felt in safe hands and could really let go of my anxieties.' Dr John Ferris and paramedic Sarah Graham from GNAAS administered ketamine to sedate Mr Verkerk so they could pull both of his wrists straight and then performed spinal mobilisation to treat his neck pain. With the help of the mountain rescue team, Mr Verkerk was carried approximately 250m to the waiting helicopter which transported him to Royal Preston Hospital. The scene of Gijs' incident (Image: Supplied) He spent two weeks in hospital in the UK where he had surgery on both wrists and was stabilised for seven days to manage his spinal injury and fitted with a corset to fix and support his neck. He was then transferred to a hospital in his home city for another week before spending a further ten weeks in a rehabilitation centre. Mr Verkerk said: 'After a year I was able to do most normal things, but it was only after four years that I felt relieved from my limitations. For example, it took a long time to be able to completely flex my neck and strengthen my left shoulder to what it was.' Robin, pilot Phil Lambert and Gijs Verkerk (Image: Supplied) Mr Verkerk recently returned to the UK with his friend Robin to complete the coast-to-coast cycle ride he never got to finish and reunited with some of the people he met six years ago. He said: 'We started with the same driver, Howard, taking us from Newcastle to Whitehaven. He and his wife were still wondering what had happened to me after he picked up my friends at the end of that trip having heard that I was brought to hospital. 'We also met five members of the Cockermouth Mountain Rescue team in Loweswater, which was a very grateful moment too. "They vividly remembered my incident and were also pleased to hear back from me that I have fully recovered.' GNAAS pilot Phil Lambert talking to Gijs and Robin (Image: Supplied) During the trip they also called into GNAAS' base in Langwathby where pilot Phil Lambert, who airlifted him to hospital, was on shift. He said: 'It was really special for us to meet up with Phil and see the operations. We shared pictures from that day and Phil and Robin remembered talking to each other about how strange it was for my accident to happen in a relatively flat area, and not on the downhill slope. 'I believe that my evacuation by helicopter and the medical attention I got so quickly after the accident has contributed a lot to my recovery. It really made a difference.' GNAAS needs to raise £9.3m a year to remain operational and have recently launched a raffle where you can win a trip to Barbados.
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Yahoo
Autism diagnoses occurring earlier for boys, girls often wait years, analysis finds
Autism is being diagnosed earlier in young children, especially in boys, according to a major new analysis of medical records published on Tuesday. Conducted by Epic Research -- the data and analytics arm of the electronic health record software company, Epic Systems -- the analysis also found that many girls still face years-long delays in receiving a diagnosis and an increasing share of women are not diagnosed until adulthood. This raises concerns about missed opportunities for early support, Dr. Catherine Lord, the George Tarjan Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Education in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told ABC News. MORE: RFK Jr. lays out new studies on autism, shuts down 'better diagnoses' as a cause "There is evidence that girls are often diagnosed later than boys, and particularly girls with milder symptoms are missed entirely," Lord, who was not involved in the analysis, said. "When you add in adults seeking a diagnosis later in life -- often more women than men -- it pushes the average age of diagnosis for females even higher." The study reviewed records from more than 338,000 patients who received their first autism spectrum disorder diagnosis between 2015 and 2024, using aggregated electronic health record data from hospitals and clinics nationwide to study health care trends. While not peer-reviewed, Epic Research's work is vetted internally by the company's clinical and research experts. The median age at diagnosis for all children fell from age 7 in 2015 to age 6 in 2024, the analysis suggested. For boys, the median age dropped from age 7 to age 5, with nearly half diagnosed before age 5 in 2024. Girls showed no similar shift, the analysis found. Their median age of diagnosis remained at about age 8, and only about one-third were diagnosed before age 5. The disparity persisted into adulthood, with one in four women first diagnosed at age 19 or older, compared with about one in eight men, the analysis found. Although the median age for diagnosis dropped, the average age remained at about 10.5 years old, likely implying that some people were being diagnosed much later, potentially into adulthood. Early detection matters because therapies, school accommodations, and interventions -- often involving speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and developmental pediatricians -- are most effective when started early in life, Lord explained. "The biggest time of change particularly in developing language, is in the early years," Lord said. "Interventions can speed up learning and help prevent later anxiety and depression by making life easier for autistic kids and their families." MORE: RFK Jr.'s comments on autism draw reactions from parents and experts Early signs of autism can include limited eye contact, not responding to their name, delayed speech, repetitive behaviors such as hand-flapping or lining up objects, intense or unusual interests, and distress over changes in routine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , In girls, these signs may be harder to notice or focused on socially typical topics, which can delay recognition. For families facing barriers to diagnosis, Lord recommended seeking evaluations through schools, contacting state-run early intervention programs for children under age three. She also recommended relying on credible sources such as the CDC, Autism Speaks and the Autism Science Foundation for more information. "There's much more hope now for autism," she said. "Not to 'cure' it, but to support people, figure out their strengths, and help them find their place in the world." Christian S. Monsalve, MD is a functional psychiatry fellow and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit. Solve the daily Crossword
