Sewing syringe rolls for a specialist school to help children with disabilities

Caz Denning, Funeral Director at J H Way Funeral Services in Teignmouth, created waterproof syringe holders for a specialised school in Exeter to give greater freedom to children with physical difficulties.

Caz used her sewing skills honed at J H Way to make hassle-free syringe rolls for her grandson, Joshua, who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, and was asked by his old school Vranch House to make 22 for their pupils.

Caz said: “My grandson’s medication is delivered through syringes, which used to be taken out of their bottles and transported in kitchen roll and food bags during trips outdoors to improve mobility. However, this often resulted in leaks.

“I know other families that have children with physical difficulties face similar problems, so I got in touch with Joshua’s old school who were very excited about the idea of giving waterproof syringe rolls to the families of their pupils.”

Caz is self-taught and experienced at needlework, having repaired uniforms for colleagues at J H Way, so she decided to combine waterproof materials into a roll that holds five syringes and a spare feeding tube.

She has so far created three rolls for Joshua with different patterns and materials from online suppliers, which have made trips outside hassle-free and more accessible.

She said: “These rolls are far more lightweight than the syringe bottles and more practical than using kitchen roll or food bags. I hope the families of the children at Vranch House can get as much use out of them as we have for Joshua.”

Kate Moss, Chief Executive of Vranch House, said: “Vranch House would like to give a very special thank you to a very special lady, Caz, who has kindly donated her time and expertise to the children of our school.

“We feel very privileged to have been offered these delightful syringe wraps, which have already been a massive help to the families of our pupils.”

Caz plans to experiment with different materials to create more syringe rolls for children with physical difficulties.