Friends fundraise to help four-year-old communicate

Fundraising efforts are under way for a four-year-old girl unable to speak or use sign language.

Chloe Osborne, from Worcestershire, was born at 30 weeks, weighing 2lb 4oz, and was later diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

Family and friends are fundraising for eyegaze technology to enable her to communicate better.

Sutton Coldfield firefighter Paul Bayliss is helping to organise events including a walk which starts Saturday.

The 70-mile walk starts at Bristol Children's Hospital, where Chloe received emergency treatment, and finishes at her parents Jamie and Lisa Osborne's home in Redditch on Monday.

Other events aimed at raising the £20,000 needed include a sponsored a head shave. One man, Rob Mullen, is doing 500 miles of ultra-marathons in one year, including the Marathon des Sables.

The family are hoping to raise £20,000 for the equipment, but fundraising has "hit a brick wall", Mr Bayliss said, because of the coronavirus pandemic and a social media fundraising page has been set up.

"We still have £12,000 to go to hit our target. That's a lot of money and we are running out of ideas, especially now that we are unable to get together.

"We desperately want to support our friends by raising the money that this family need so that Chloe can learn to communicate."

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