A FAMILY is launching an appeal to raise £1,700 to pay for a special chair for their disabled daughter.

Three-year-old Lily is confined to a wheelchair and needs the Panda futura adjustable chair so she can sit at desks and be the same height as other children when she starts at Middle Barton School in September.

Her parents Mathew Ilott, 39, and Jo Seymour, 38, plan to launch the appeal on Easter Monday with a family treasure hunt, raffle and quiz.

Lily was diagnosed with type two spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic muscle weakness condition, at the age of 18 months.

Mr Ilott, of Old John’s Close, Middle Barton, near Bicester, said: “We noticed she was not reaching milestones and she didn’t crawl. She was just 16 months when we first started seeing the GP and eventually got referred to the John Radcliffe Hospital.

“It was diagnosed six weeks later – although that seemed like absolute eternity to us.

“She got the wheelchair when she was two and was proficient at two-and-a-half. Lily’s condition is just physical, mentally she’s as bright as a button. She is becoming more aware of her differences which is why we want her to go to mainstream school.”

Lily has a Panda chair at home, but a second chair would make life much easier for the family.

At the moment they have to try to park near the pre-school and unload Lily and her wheelchair, while mum carries the bulky Panda chair into school.

Mr Ilott, a technical project manager for a lighting company, said: “Leaving home is like a military operation. It’s a logistical nightmare. You have to plan your trip and leave enough time so Jo is not late for work and Lily is set up ready to go.”

The second Panda chair would stay at school and Lily could use it until she was eight.

Lily’s condition can be life limiting and she is prone to chest infections which can develop into pneumonia.

Mr Ilott said: “As she gets older she will develop the ability to tackle those problems a bit better so it’s a crucial time.

“Whenever she gets a cold she has antibiotics straight away.

“Jo and I want to have more children and the chance of having another with the full condition is one in four.”

The couple were recently approved for IVF where the egg can be tested for the condition.

The treasure hunt, organised by the Carpenter’s Arms in Middle Barton, is on Monday, April 5.

Any cash left over will be donated to the Jennifer Trust, a charity that supports families who have children with the condition.

Next month Mr Ilott will run the London Marathon in aid of charity Whizz Kidz, which provided Lily’s wheelchair.