THE mother of a child with a rare genetic illness is appealing to people to create ‘a Christmas miracle’ by donating to the charity which supports their family.

Carrie Brackstone, whose daughter, Ruby, seven, is losing her sight, is urging anyone who would usually send a Christmas card to donate the money to Ryedale Special Families (RSF).

The Malton-based charity supports families who have children and young adults with disabilities, illness and additional needs, throughout Ryedale.

RSF now owns a piece of land in Pickering for a new purpose-built facility but needs to raise £1 million to begin the work.

Carrie said: “Ruby has a rare genetic syndrome called Cohen’s Syndrome – there are less than 1,000 diagnosed cases worldwide.

“Ruby is non-verbal and only learned to walk with intensive physiotherapy at the age of four.

“She has complex disabilities and retinal dystrophy and is likely to lose her sight in her mid-teens.

“Ruby, however, is of a sunny disposition and 99% of the time has a smile on her face.”

Carrie said RSF was a lifeline to children and their families.

She added: “Ruby has accessed RSF for iMuse therapy, an interactive technology which provides a relaxing and creative multi-sensory space where people can connect with the world around them, make their own choices and develop non-verbal ways of communicating.

“Because North Yorkshire is so vast and many children with need live in rural areas, there is little to no provision for them in Ryedale.

“The current building in which RSF operates is a small terraced cottage in Old Malton and is sadly not fit for purpose with accessibility issues.

“A new home for RSF is so desperately needed and will provide a lifeline to both children and parents in this area who need support in these increasingly difficult times.

“If everyone in Ryedale donated just £1 then it really would be a Christmas miracle.”

Rob Davies, fundraising co-ordinator for RSF, said: “Ruby’s story is just one of the hundreds of families we support throughout Ryedale and our new building will enable us to continue to do so, as well as expand the services we provide, for many years to come.

“Since Covid, building costs have doubled and we now have a mountain to climb to raise the funds we need to start the building process, but we know that through the support and generosity of the Ryedale community, even in these challenging times, we will achieve our goal and be able to start building in 2023.

“Huge thanks to everyone for donating.”

To donate to RSF’s new building go to https://www.ryedalespecialfamilies.org.uk