Big-hearted readers buy Beau a new bed

Published on Monday 16 March 2009 08:48

LESS than a week ago, the family and friends of young Spina Bifida sufferer Beau Rendall were embarking on a campaign to raise thousands of pounds to buy him a much-needed specialist bed.

Fundraising events were planned and a website was set up to raise as much money as possible.

But after the story of how much five-year-old Beau needs the bed appeared in the Evening News last Wednesday, the website was inundated with pledges of cash – and they already have all the money they need to buy the 3100 bed.

His mum, Tracy Rendall, is overwhelmed by the response, and the Newlife Foundation – which helped launch the campaign – said this was the quickest response to an appeal it has ever seen.

Mrs Rendall, from Craigentinny, said she was "gobsmacked" that the money had been raised so quickly and was so touched by all the people who donated money.

She said: "I keep wanting to cry because I can't believe how kind and generous people have been.

"Everyone from strangers who read about him in the Evening News to people who know Beau and see him every day have donated. It makes me feel really humble.

"It's wonderful for Beau. He doesn't really understand it yet but I'm going to try to explain to him how kind people have been."

Beau, whose condition means he is paralysed and susceptible to fluid building up in his brain, desperately needs a new bed to aid his recovery after he undergoes an operation to realign his hips.

The bed will also be used to enable him to lie down for his physiotherapy, catheterisations and personal hygiene, which are all currently being carried out on top of a chest of drawers. Evening News readers donated money to his appeal on his fundraising website and, together with family and friends, they raised 930.

The story also touched Wally Bourdelov, director of Spire Murrayfield Hospital, when he read it – and he decided the hospital would pay the remaining 2170 needed to buy Beau his bed.

Julie Campbell, marketing manager at the hospital, said: "Wally was particularly touched by this story and thought about it all night and decided first thing the next morning that we would donate the money.

"It's our 25th year this year and we wanted to do something and this really hit a nerve with our director."

Mother-of-four Mrs Rendall, 41, said: "Beau has already had a huge amount of support from Newlife as they provided half of the money for his power chair which cost 16,000."

Neil Preston, the Edinburgh fundraiser for the Newlife Foundation, said: "We are delighted that Edinburgh Evening News readers have been so generous."