30-04-2025
Motherwell mum's bid to provide life-changing dream garden for brave six-year-old daughter
A loving Motherwell mum is determined to build a specially adapted garden for her six-year-old daughter who has a very rare genetic condition. Kelcie Brooks, 36, has been waiting for a suitable council home for over three years. Kelcie's six-year-old daughter Winnie has the extremely rare condition Coffin-Siris Syndrome, there are currently only 200 known cases in the world. Exasperated by the lengthy wait for a new house with no guarantee of a suitable home being found, Kelcie has secured a privately-let ground floor flat with a garden in North Lanarkshire which is more suited to Winnie's needs and is preparing for the move. The youngster has had issues since birth and underwent brain surgery when she was just a month old, but was only diagnosed with Coffin-Siris Syndrome at the age of four. The condition means she's unable to walk, or talk and needs constant care. Winnie has multiple disabilities and uses a wheelchair, but loves being outdoors and the move will be life-changing for her. She manages to get around on her knees and loves being active. Her mum, who is Winnie's full-time carer, is determined to raise the funds to adapt the outdoor space into a dream garden at their new home to allow her daughter to enjoy daily life as fully as possible. Currently the garden is not at all child-friendly or safe for Winnie as it's accessed by a number of stairs, and is uneven and made up of patchy grass with a few broken slabs. However, Kelcie's plans to install a child-safe soft surface, a sand pit, and a trampoline, the adaptations along with landscaping will reach to a five-figure sum. She is funding as much as she can herself with help from family. 'Initially, I was a bit naïve and didn't realise how much gardens cost," said Kelcie. 'With Winnie's limitations, it's getting more difficult to do things at local parks alone with her so an outside space where she can safely play will help her tremendously. 'This garden would be life changing for Winnie. She's a very happy, sociable and brave girl who's been through a lot in her short life. 'If we can raise at least £10,000 then we'd be able to get the basics; we need a ramp, the soft-pour tarmac surface for her knees, sand pit and an in-ground trampoline. If we can get that and it's all safe then over time I can eventually add other bits and pieces. "She's obsessed with sand, and calls it mand. Ideally we could have a mud kitchen and tuft trays for messy play, something that spins for her to sit or lie on. And a tunnel would be amazing as it's typically her favourite thing at play parks. "Safe and accessible is the key though, but the more donations we get the more we can do. 'We've already been helped by local businesses as we go into a lot of cafes and stuff. So they've donated and shared the link. 'We got a big donation of £5,000 from Garron Noone, an Irish musician and comedian. I'd messaged him and he replied and sent the donation, which was incredible.' Kelcie knew from when she was pregnant that her daughter would have health issues. 'We went for a scan and the woman told us we had to go to foetal medicine, and I had to go for tests,' Kelcie said. 'We then found out she had hydrocephalus. It's been constant hospital appointments since Winnie was born. 'You see people with kids in wheelchairs but it doesn't really cross your mind what life is like until you're in that position. 'We are in hospital a lot for respiratory issues, when she gets a cold it turns really bad. She wants to be outside and do stuff, we can't stop her getting a cold but we have treatment plans in place and she has daily nebulisers and inhalers. "I want Winnie to have the best life she can have. She tells me in her own way that she wants to go outside and see people. 'Winnie loves people and loves school. She just loves everything and is the happiest girl you could ever meet, she's absolutely ecstatic. "She's a genuine ray of sunshine and I'm blessed to be her mum. 'Yes, things can be difficult with all the hospital visits but I always look at the positives and just want to make her life as good as I possibly can. 'My hope is that as well as donations we may potentially get a few people reaching out who could perhaps do the job.' You can find Kelcie's GoFundMe page to build Winnie's dream garden at: *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here . And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here .
