Fundraiser launched for Cammy after building work row with council
A family have launched a fundraiser for their disabled son after reaching a stalemate with Fife Council in trying to adapt their home to meet his needs.
Cameron Gimour (10) from Cellardyke was born 15 weeks early, under two pounds in weight, with a bleed in his brain which caused cerebral palsy.
Needing around the clock care, the family were aiming to make adaptions to their home to meet Cammy’s needs, but have had to put the plavs on hold after a disagreement with Fife Council.
Cameron’s dad, Jim, said: “Cammy can’t do anything for himself. He’ll never walk, he’s in a wheelchair, he’s non-verbal and he’ll need fed through a tube for the whole of his life. Basically he needs 24/7 care.
“A few years ago we did a fundraiser through a charity called Just For Children where we raised £90,000 which is a significant sum of money. They hold that money and over the years they've given us money for specialist equipment and for treatments like physio, massage and things like that.
“We’re at a stage now where we need the house adapted for Cammy as he’s getting bigger. We thought the charity would help, but they’ve said they can’t give us money for building work because in our initial fundraising literature with them a few years ago, we didn't mention it could be used for adaptations to the house and they have strict guidelines whereby they can only give money for what it was raised for.”
The family then turned to Fife Council for help and after an initial agreement to help with funding, the authority then backed out.
“The council had agreed to up to £20,000 in funding to assist with adaptation of the garage, but that kind of fell through as it was going to prove to be too expensive,” Jim says.
“We then identified a room in our house instead. So we said to the council, well, what about this room here? We think it's big enough. An Occupational Therapist and someone from the council came out and assessed it. They went away and came back to us a month later saying the room was not suitable, so we can't give you any money at all.
“The actual wording was ‘it’s not a good use of council money’ which I think is scandalous.”
Jim and his family are now having to carry Cammy around the house, up and down stairs, when he needs moved.
“He’s getting bigger and heavier, it’s getting harder to deal with him and we just want him to feel comfortable in his own home.
“We’ve been left in limbo. We had a surveyor come out and assess the room and the entrance and he said there is definitely enough room for adaptations, but the council are saying to us there isn’t.
“The only thing they suggested was alternative housing, but we have other kids too and they love living here so we don’t want to move.
“We feel like we’re having to fight with everyone to get what’s best for our son. We have money that we can use to buy the specialist equipment, all we’re looking for is the building work to be done.
“It just feels so unfair.”
A council spokesman said the decision to withhold the funding was taken after advice received from NHS Fife, for whom a spokesman said: “While we do not comment on the details of individual cases, our Children and Young People’s Occupational Therapy Service remains committed to working with the family and partner services to identify a safe, appropriate and sustainable way forward.
“Requests for major home adaptations are carefully assessed to ensure they safely and appropriately meet the individual’s current and longer-term needs.
“Where an adaptation proposal changes significantly, the revised proposal must be reassessed against the relevant criteria rather than funding automatically transferring from the original plan.”
The family’s local MSP, Willie Rennie, has also stepped in to fight their case, with Jim saying: “He couldn’t have done anymore for us. He’s been absolutely brilliant.”
Mr Rennie said: “As Cameron gets older, it is important that we find accommodation that meets both his needs and those of the Gilmour family.
“I have been working closely with the Council to find a positive resolution and will continue to do so. I hope the Council will reconsider its decision so that we can work together to find a practical and reasonable way forward.
“Our shared goal should be to ensure that Cameron has the appropriate accommodation and support to enable him to live a full and fulfilling life at home.”
The family have now set up a page on GoFundMe, with Jim saying: “I put a post up on Facebook to give everybody the details because a lot of people had been involved in the initial fundraising and I wanted to let them know what the situation was. Most of them had been family and friends but some weren’t.
“A lot of people had come bac to me and said I should start another fundraiser, so that’s what we’ve done.”
The family have set a target of £5000 and are already over halfway with just over £2500 raised.
“It’s absolutely brilliant, people are amazing,” Jim said.
“We’re not asking for the world or vast fortunes. We just want to get the house sorted for our son.”
You can make a donation to Cammy’s appeal here.