A CINNAMON Brow mum says that Children's Adventure Farm Trust (CAFT) offers her disabled and blind son a sense of freedom.

Alfie Bunce is a wheelchair user and the nine-year-old cannot walk, talk or feed himself.

But when his mum and dad, Andrea and Alan, take Alfie to our charity of month CAFT at Booth Bank Farm in Millington, near Lymm, they say it has a calming effect on him.

The charity offers breaks to terminally ill, disabled and disadvantaged children all over the north west and Alfie goes on a week's holiday there every year.

"It is so peaceful," said Andrea.

"Coming here just calms him down. He knows all the staff who are really nice and he gets the chance to do art.

"They take him up to see the chickens and he goes on the playground. I think it just offers him freedom for those five days.

"If Alfie gets upset while we’re out in Warrington it gets quite stressful because people are staring whereas when you’re at the farm you don’t have that. It doesn’t matter if he screams or gets upset because everybody's in the same situation."

Andrea found out about CAFT from Warrington-based Mums In Need, a family support group for parents with disabled children.

CAFT felt like a lifeline as Alfie's condition has yet to be diagnosed and so the family have not had the support they need. Alfie also recently took part in a study in Cambridge to help medical professionals better understand his condition.

Andrea added: "With a lot of conditions you know what the outcome is but we don’t know what the future holds. I find it very frustrating.

"They say they might have a diagnosis when he’s older. There will be somebody else out there with the same syndrome but they don’t know what it is. It is just an enigma."

Andrea cares for Alfie full time while Alfie's dad Alan works at Padgate Appliances to provide for the family.

Alfie visits CAFT once a year with Andrea and his niece Leighcey Turner, aged eight.

Andrea said: "It’s just so relaxing here and you don’t have to worry about anything as it’s all done for you. It’s nice to see all the other families. We talk about what we’re going through and all go for walks around the farm."