SPECIAL REPORT: Why Lyndale is a second home to Alex and friends

LIKE most children, Alex Brie loves nothing more than playing with his toys, big cuddles and having fun.

But eight-year-old Alex is one of more than 25 Wirral pupils in the middle of a passionate campaign to keep his school open.

He has an unknown genetic condition which means he is unable to walk or talk, is partially deaf, doubly incontinent, has feeding co-ordination problems and has the development age of a six-month-old baby.

In fact, Alex is the only person in the world to have his condition.

But mum Chrissie says his diagnosis is not important as that is only a small part of the son she says is always smiling.

“Alex has a cracking personality and he is such a happy boy the majority of the time,” said 35-year-old Chrissie, who lives in Tranmere with partner Colin and daughter Holly, aged 18 months.

“You can have the worst day in the world and you come home and have a cuddle from Alex, and it makes everything better.

“He’s definitely a daddy’s boy though, he worships his dad and loves cuddles from him.”

Alex requires constant entertainment and so it comes as no surprise that his room is filled with toys and is transformed in to his own private sensory disco at bedtime.

Chrissie said: “He has 16 tambourines and loads of toys. Alex has to be constantly occupied and if he’s not he starts getting upset and hitting himself which isn’t very nice to see but we work our backsides off to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

While Alex is surrounded by love and affection at home, that doesn’t stop when he goes to school.

“I don’t know what we would do without Lyndale,” said Chrissie.

“And it’s not just the school – it’s the parents too, the whole group.

“None of Alex’s toys are age appropriate but we are very lucky because we’re all friends so when one of our children stops playing with a toy, we give it to another.

“For me, the parents are basically a lifeline. This fight wouldn’t be fought as well if we weren’t all good friends.

“When Alex was first born I felt completely alone, like the only person in the world who had a disabled child and no one else gets it.”

Now though, Chrissie is surrounded by dozens of fellow parents who understand the care and needs of her child.

“They are the only people that can get this,” said Chrissie.

“We are just a big family and Lyndale wouldn’t be Lyndale without us.”
 

Alex with mum Chrissie, dad Colin and sister Holly.

The fight to keep Lyndale open is one parents won’t be giving up on anytime soon.

Education, Health and Care Plans are currently being drawn up for each Lyndale pupil but Chrissie says parents are not happy with the way this is being done.

“They won’t be done by the end of October like Cllr Phil Davies wants them to be. They stay with our children for the whole of their educational life – they are not going to be rushed. We are going to take our time and they will be done when they are done.”

“This fight is just beginning. It’s a full time job but we are not going to stop because the schools they want our children to go to are not suitable and I am not willing to put my son into a facility that’s specialised in other areas of disabilities.

“They are not specialised in PMLD and I’m not willing to risk it.”

When Alex isn’t at school or wearing his “Save Lyndale t-shirt”, he loves nothing more than feeding the ducks with his mum at Birkenhead Park.

Chrissie added: "I’m just so proud of Alex because when he was first born they really didn’t expect anything of him.

“The things he can do, they seem small but they’re not, they’re huge because the doctors didn’t expect anything of these things. It’s just amazing.

“He has a cracking personality, he’s a proper little individual – he’s just Alex.”

Next week we will be speaking to Maureen Fearon, whose eight-year-old son Robinson has cortical dysplasia.