Facepainting and free comics help raise funds for Reading boy with cerebral palsy

Lemmy's journey to diagnosis
Lemmy Potts was born six weeks premature and then suffered from sepsis when he was just two years old. At the age of 18 months he was diagnosed with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy which affects his mobility, cognitive development and vision.

He has already undergone squint surgery on his eyes and uses a walker to get around. His parents are fundraising for private physio and other therapies to help improve his movement, as well as to help pay for a specialised buggy and a disabled parking space outside their house.

Ongoing healthcare needs for Lemmy
Mum Abbey, 32, who lives near Cemetery Junction with Lemmy, older son Casper and husband Matthew, 32, a web designer, said: ‘We have been working very hard to give Salem (Lemmy) every opportunity we can while he’s young and his brain is still developing. We currently attend private physio weekly and also participate in frequent, intense sessions where he attends every day for 2 weeks at a time. He’s also going to conductive education session which help with everything from movement to social skills and make a huge difference.

‘Currently, as Lemmy is unable to walk unaided, we are looking into specialist buggies, which we will be funding ourselves. We hope that we can raise enough to purchase him a buggy and also help fund his continued therapies.

‘Salem has taught me to be brave. I feel like I have grown so much because of him, and he has taught me so much in such a short time. We want to do everything we possibly can to help ensure he continues to thrive, and having people’s support to do this means the absolute world to us! Our friends, family and community have been so generous.’

A fundraiser for Comic Book fans
Crunch Comics in the Harris Arcade will be taking part in Free Comic Book Day on May 3 2025 when they will be handing out free comics. Abbey will be offering face-painting at the shop in return for donations, along with her son Casper who will be offering glitter tattoos.

Tree of Hope's Support
The family is being supported by children’s charity Tree of Hope which helps families fundraise for children and young people like Lemmy with healthcare needs which cannot be provided by the NHS and provides charity status to benefit from gift aid, corporate support while also providing donor reassurance and a family support service.

How you can help Lemmy

To learn more about Lemmy or the facepainting event visit https://www.treeofhope.org.uk/get-involved/childrens-campaigns/salem-potts/

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Facepainting-for-Salem

For more about Crunch Comics visit https://crunchcomics.com/