23/12/2025
Back in the summer we run our annual " win the team for a day" competition. β¨
The very deserving Hughes family were our winners π
Due to disabilities in the household, the family were in need of a bespoke unit to fit in the cupboard to make the baking supplies more accessible. A much loved activity the family enjoy to do together. π
It was an honour to help bring this together for them.
With permission of the hughes family, here's their incredible back story..
"Gracie, born with a rare genetic condition, she spent her first few weeks on a ventilator in special care. Due to an unsafe swallow, she was tube-fed and relied on it for the first five years. Now, she can eat soft foods, but we still use the tube for her daily meds and fluids.
Bulbar Palsy, a condition affecting the signal from her brain to her throat, prevented her from smiling or talking. We were told she would never walk, talk, or eat, but she now does all three!
Communication was one of her biggest challenges throughout her life. We were unable to leave the house at times due to the frustration she felt from not being able to communicate with me. The days were very long and tiring, and I found it so hard not to know what she wanted.
We found it difficult to get on a sign language course when she was two years old, and were told it could have a two-year waiting list. After researching, we found that the sign language courses were very expensive and not all family members could afford this. Paul and I then set up a fundraising page to raise enough funds to hold a course for all our family and friends so that we could all communicate with Gracie. It was then that we realised other families were in the same position as us, and we wanted to help them too. So, we decided to set up a charity, and More than Words Charity was born!
We now hold face-to-face and online Makaton courses for free to parents and carers of children with communication difficulties, and we also hold inclusive family events. MTW have now trained over 2500 parents and carers in Makaton. "
Here at Davies and Turner Carpentry Ltd, we are incredibly touched by the Hughes story as we're sure you are too.
Please share & click the link below to support their amazing charity.
https://www.morethanwordscharity.com/
Thankyou ππ»
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