A Home for Bella

We all take it for granted to have a roof over our heads but what if you’re a blind 15 year old non-verbal autistic girl, who suffers from sensory processing disorder, life threatening seizures caused by epilepsy and you're about to lose the only safe space you have lived in for the last 14 years?

This is what Bella and her family face unless we can help.

Bella’s parents, Sam and Dave and her brother Nick spend their lives looking after her, they have to because it’s what keeps her here. Despite endless attempts to find appropriate care support, Bella’s requirements are so complex, the specialist care that she needs to simply keep her alive just isn’t available so they look after her 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The family have lived in the same rented house for 14 years with a very flexible and accommodating landlord, but now he needs to sell his house. They have tried to access support from social housing but cannot be provided with a home as the only houses available are new builds that cannot be adapted, so they are stuck between a rock and a hard place, knowing they will be losing their home but with nowhere safe and appropriate for Bella to go.

The family have nothing: Sam and Dave were forced to give up their careers to look after Bella, who needs constant 2:1 support. When one parent sleeps, the other takes over. Their plight is unimaginable, but they never relent; their love and devotion for Bella is palpable and her smile lights up the room, because of the love and care she receives.

As Bella has grown, so too have her needs and this family urgently need our help. They need a home that they will give them the space to facilitate Bella’s medical needs, her education and the services that a multiple array of healthcare professionals provide for her. Bella's needs are so complex she cannot attend a special school, she has regular seizures that affect the quality of her life and she requires constant around-the-clock care. Let’s find them somewhere safe to live.

Bella’s mum Sam is always giving back - she has spent decades helping to raise money for other causes to help people in need, despite her own challenges. She campaigned relentlessly to change NICE guidance, which will now ensure that no other child with complex needs will lose their sight as a result of nutrient deficiency. Bella completely lost her vision as a result of vitamin A deficiency in 2021, adding to the already complex challenges that they deal with every day.

We are a group of friends in Nailsea, North Somerset who have made it our mission to help Bella and her family find a home that is suitable. We want to ensure that they can have a safe, adapted home for life - a home where Bella will thrive and not just survive, in the close and supportive community where they are known and loved.

This is where we need your help. We are raising the money needed to set up a trust to buy a home for Bella.

Please give what you can, every pound will make a difference and get us closer to getting a home for Bella.

Thank you very much for your support.

UPDATE:

We are in the process of setting up a registered charity to support the fundraising we are doing for Bella and her family, because we feel that this is the best way to look after the family and support other families in need like Bella's.

This will take time as there is lots of paperwork involved and the details must be validated by the Charity Commission so please bear with us.

We will update you as we go but please keep donating - every pound help us reach our goal.