'Gromit art trail charity was lifeline during our baby's hospital stay'
"It's just one less thing to worry about when you've got a poorly child in hospital."For Emma-Louise and Scott, a home funded by money raised from Bristol's well-loved Gromit Unleashed art trails "was a lifeline".Their son, Ronnie-James, is five years old and living with Dandy-Walker Syndrome, a rare condition affecting the part of the brain that controls movement, balance and co-ordination.Without the Cots for Tots House, Emma-Louise says she and Scott would have needed to travel an hour to hospital every day to visit their son.
Ronnie-James is one of thousands of children in Bristol who have been supported by money raised from the Gromit art trails.Since 2013, more than £20m has been donated to The Grand Appeal, with funds providing a "home away from home" for families across the west of England when they need to visit St Michael's Hospital or the Bristol Royal Hospital For Children.Ronnie-James was born with a hole in his diaphragm, which meant his stomach had been moved into his chest, squashing a lung and moving his heart.
Emma explained that Ronnie-James suffers from headaches and is "in pain". She said the family had used the accommodation provided by the charity from the very start of Ronnie-James' life."We came into the house the day I had him," she said. "It was good because you had everything that you needed and everything was sorted for you."She added that if the family had needed to travel to and from their home near Cheltenham it "would have been so expensive" and she did not want to leave her baby "ages away".
Scott said: "At first it was worrying because you didn't know what was going to happen."But, he said, when he met other parents in the house, "they know what we've gone through because we've gone through the same so it was the best of both worlds".Emma explained that doctors had told her and Scott that Ronnie-James would most likely not be able to walk or talk."One day he just stood up, then he started walking, then he started crawling."Now he's found his voice."
This June, the third instalment of the Gromit Unleashed art trail, inspired by Aardman's Wallace and Gromit universe, will be landing on the streets of Bristol.The sculptures, funded by local businesses, will go on to be sold at auction and raise further funds for The Grand Appeal, run by Bristol Children's Hospital charity.It operates three accommodation houses: Cots for Tots House, Pauls House and Grand Appeal House.Cots for Tots House alone has seen more than 2,000 families stay.Deputy director of The Grand Appeal, Anna Shepherd, said: "Our families don't only come from Bristol, they come from Devon, Cornwall, South Wales. "It takes away that anxiety of 'where am I going to stay?'. Some of our families come unexpectedly," she said.
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