Golf event this month for local boy with multiple disabilities

A golf event is being held for a local seven-year-old who has cerebral palsy, dystonia and epilepsy.

The event at Essex Golf and Country Club on May 29 has attracted 86 players so far. There will also be a dinner for more than 100 people and silent raffle and auction with prizes and lots including four-ball rounds of golf, travel vouchers ,signed clothing and more.

Alexander Liggins, 7, who lives in Tiptree was born 16 weeks premature when his parents Alison and Matt were on holiday in Mallorca.

Alex’s mum Alison, 44, a merchandiser said: ‘It was quite a shock when Alex was born, we’d only arrived in Mallorca six hours earlier! We were eventually repatriated back to the UK after 9.5 weeks. Alexander stayed in hospital for another 6.5 weeks, and then we finally came home!’

‘All was going well until, at 9 months old, he developed infantile spasms, which is a rare form of epilepsy that causes developmental delays.

‘We stayed in hospital for a month while we tried to gain control, and we did have a brief spell in remission, only for Alex to relapse again a couple of months later.’

‘Alexander is non-mobile, non-verbal and PEG fed. He was having up to 300 spasms per day at one point but this is now under better control. The main problem at the moment is dystonia, which is restricting the little movement he has as his left hip has become dislocated due to his muscles pulling it out.’

‘In spite of this he is a happy little boy who loves to be outside, socialising, enjoys school and loves hydrotherapy and being in the water.’

Friends and family have already rallied around raising funds through events including a 100K run and half marathon. The family are currently prioritising raising money for therapies to ease Alexander’s dystonia and future house adaptations.

The family is being supported by children’s charity Tree of Hope, which helps families raise money for children and young people like Alexander for medical treatments and healthcare services not freely available to them through the NHS and social care. The charity provides fundraising guidance, campaign development, financial management, charity registration and emotional support from the Family Support team. Families like Alexander’s benefit from having the support, tools and resources to fundraise effectively as well as access to gift aid, corporate support while also providing donor reassurance.

To donate to Alexander’s fund https://www.treeofhope.org.uk/get-involved/childrens-campaigns/alexander-the-brave/