Six-year-old with rare muscle condition 'over the moon' after charity helps him to use hot tub all year round

Bailey Roberts, 6 from Hartlepool was ‘over the moon’ when he found out he would be getting a shed for his hot tub after he was diagnosed with duchenne muscular dystrophy at two-years-old.

The rare condition, which causes muscle seizures and an increased risk of falls, means that it’s likely Bailey will need to use a wheelchair by the age of 9.

His mum Amy said the warm water in a hot tub relaxes the muscles to stop them seizing up, while helping with mobility.

The Hartlepool mum regularly took Bailey to the local hydro pool twice a week to help ease chronic pain in his legs by mobilising them while swimming but this was put on hold due to the pandemic.

Amy said: “The hydro pool was perfect because the warm water helped relax Bailey’s muscles but after covid hit we were unable to continue going.

"His muscles got worse and he would fall over and bump into things all the time, we would run a bath and massage his legs every time they seized up.”

Amy contacted Hartlepool charity The Poolie Time Project and the charity arranged for a donated shed to be built for Bailey’s hot tub so that he can use the tub regardless of the weather.

The mum added: “Bailey was absolutely over the moon, he was so excited when he found out the shed was going to be built because it will help him so much.

"The team at the charity have been amazing, they are really lovely people who are happy to help – We are so grateful.”

Bailey and his family are now donating items to give back to the charity to thank them for the shed.

Stephen Picton worked with Dave Hunter from the The Poolie Time Project on the project.

Stephen, a project co-ordinator said: “As soon as I received the message from Amy, we wanted to help so Cornerstones agreed to supply the shed and erect it and Mark Johnson agreed to do the flooring.

"The community in Hartlepool always pull together when someone needs helps and they will.”

Support your Mail and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on Pools and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.