COLLEAGUES of a cerebral palsy sufferer have launched an appeal to help fund an electric wheelchair as his condition begins to deteriorate.

Darrell Christie, who works for Cheshire West and Chester Council at Wyvern House, has been affected with the neurological condition his entire life and the illness has now reached level two.

Julie Dickenson and Raya Furness, Darrell’s friends and colleagues, are hoping to raise £1500 to go towards a new wheelchair that they hope will improve his quality of life.

Julie said: “When I first knew Darrell he was able to walk with the aid of crutches, so I have witnessed the decline of his mobility over the last 20-odd years.

“Raya has also been aware of how much more difficult it has become for Darrell just to move around the building and to carry out his duties – especially over the last two years when he was advised he should no longer attempt to walk.”

The friends decided to set up the JustGiving page to help with the costs of the chair, which will replace his current self-propelling model.

Cerebral palsy is caused by a problem in the parts of the brain that are responsible for controlling muscles, and it is estimated that one in 400 people in the United Kingdom is affected.

The main symptoms are muscle stiffness or floppiness, muscle weakness, random and uncontrolled body movements, and balance and co-ordination problems.

The expectation is that the new chair will instil Darrell with more energy, allowing him to be much more mobile and self-supportive.

Julie also hopes that it will increase Darrell’s independence, as well as allowing him to continue working for longer than his current chair will allow.

Julie said: “We hope that the new chair will lift Darrell’s self-esteem, compensate in some small way for losing the use of his legs and allow him the quality of life that he so richly deserves. “We feel the new chair will increase his personal confidence and bring back his smile which has been so difficult for him to keep over the last several months.”

To donate to Darrell’s JustGiving page visit crowdfunding.justgiving.com/soraya-furness-1