Now age nine Harry has very complex needs; he has cerebral palsy which has left him with no functional use of his body, he’s tube fed is non verbal and is cognitively around the age of a three month old. 

Harry is however an inspiring little smiler that Hayley and her family (and the trustees of Harry’s Pals) have learnt so many lessons from. Harry is a little fighter and he has taught us so many things; resilience, strength, courage and determination and with that Hayley and the trustees decided to set up Harry’s Pals.

At Harry’s Pals we appreciate how hard it is physically, practically and emotionally to care for your severely ill or disabled child. 

Knowing first hand the impact this can have on your mental health we decided to set up Harry’s Pals so that parents don’t feel so alone in what may feel like a minefield that they could never have anticipated. 

It’s easy to put yourself amongst the bottom of the pile and put your needs last but we think it’s so counter intuitive – after all, how can you care for others when you are not functioning properly yourself.

We offer short breaks so that parents and their children (if they like) can have some much needed time out to make positive memories together. We also offer bespoke counselling and therapy services to help parents get through the emotional turmoil they will be facing and to find coping mechanisms for the road ahead.

Harry’s Pals also feel passionately about trying to inspire change by using past experiences to inspire change for disabled people and their careers. An example of a very successful campaign being Harry’s Pledge.. a nationwide social housing commitment to do more to support carers and disabled people living and working in social housing.