Crowd-funded home adaptations for disabled Hailsham boy begin

Tiger Pelling has multiple disabilities, cerebral palsy, global development delay, epilepsy and dystonia. This means he is non-mobile and non-verbal.

The fundraising page, which was set up by family friend Adele Dickinson, has currently raised more than £28,000. The crowd-funded money will add to the disabled facilities grant from the local authority.

The funding page reveals that due to Tiger’s condition, the layout of the house he is living in with his family causes several issues.

Now, months on, the alterations are in full swing. Ms Dickinson said, “Tiger’s Big Build has literally turned into a local DIY SOS.

“The build has had so many amazing people giving up their time to build and lots of traders have been involved. There has also been lots of materials donated from local companies and of course donations to the GoFundMe which stands at £28,164 currently.”

She said more fundraising events are in the pipeline, and Hailsham Cricket Club has chosen Tiger’s Big Build as its 2021 charity.

Sid Pelling, Tiger’s dad, said, “The build is going well, the inside is now going ahead. Painting, flooring, heating, tiling is all planned for next week so hopefully it will be ready to live in within a few weeks.

“Unfortunately the money has run out despite reaching more than £28,000, so the outside area will not be completed for some time, it’s still a building site. Rear access and an enclosed play area accessible from Tiger’s bedroom is still needed.

“The build has been organized by Quinn Collins he owns Grizzly Paw Construction. He has been a god send by enlisting and organising all the local trades people. People have given up their time to build and lots of supplies have been kindly donated.”

Alterations will allow Tiger to integrate with his family more and make it easier for them to care for him too.

Ms Dickinson said, “Both Sid and Katie have said they have been overwhelmed by all the support they have had. They never ever thought they would get so many donations. They are amazed that people have given up their time to build and local businesses giving building supplies, they are so grateful for everything that has been done.”

This Saturday (May 29) there is a football tournament at Hailsham Town Football Club to raise money for the build.

For more information on the tournament, and the progress of Tiger’s Big Build, go to: https://www.facebook.com/TigersBigBuild