By Gillian Ellison

Last updated at 11:21, Thursday, 14 June 2012

A MOTHER of two disabled sons – described as being prisoners in their own home – is taking on a big challenge to raise money for a £1million respite centre in Copeland.

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People see Dawn Raynor as an outgoing, confident woman who is all smiles – but they don’t know the hurt she feels inside.

Her twin sons, Callan and Ethan, 14, have tuberous sclerosis which means they have uncontrolled epilepsy – suffering many seizures every day.

Dawn, of Moor Row, told The Whitehaven News: “I’m tired of children having nowhere to go. My kids have been prisoners in their own home. I can’t let them be free and this is why we are doing this to help other disabled kids.

“This won’t help my children because they will be grown up by the time this is hopefully up and running, I am doing this to stop the fight for other parents, to give them somewhere they can take their children and relax.”

Dawn is set to kayak 13 major lakes, meres and waters in 48 hours – including throughout the night – to help raise money.

Completing the gruelling challenge on September 8/9/10 would see her enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

She has done nothing like it before but wanted to really challenge herself and has been training with Martin Whitmill about three times a week. His dog, Charlie, will be riding on the front of the kayak during the challenge.

People are being encouraged to support Dawn, a hairdresser, who will be sending out letters to businesses and schools asking for help and sponsorship.

Together with a core group of women – Gillian Linklater, Lisa Egan and Kelly Agnew – Dawn set up the Give Us A Break group in 2010 to try and provide a respite centre to help parents and children with disabilities.

So far the group has raised £12,000.

“We want a respite centre that opens seven days a week: a six-bed bungalow with a soft play area, grounds for a poly tunnel and everything which children cannot have at home,” said Dawn. “I believe that nothing is impossible.

“Parents with disabled children are tired with every day living. I thought things would get easier as the kids got older but it’s more difficult now, their seizures are getting worse and they ask heartbreaking questions about why they have to have the fits.

“It’s a constant worry and people just don’t understand,” said Dawn who gets a lot of support from her husband, Peter, and older son, Kaine, 16.

More people are needed to help with the group – which would like to see a centre built in Copeland within the next five years – particularly those who have disabled children.

Anyone interested can contact Dawn on 01946 811163 or email dawnraynor@btinternet.com or via the group on 07776 422980. There is also a meeting at Copeland MP Jamie Reed’s office, in Cleator Moor, on July 13, at 5pm.

First published at 11:08, Thursday, 14 June 2012
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk