A LLANDEILO family have benefitted from a charity fundraiser held in aid of a five-year-old boy with a rare form of Batten Disease.

Oscar Somerfield, who now lives in Llandybie, suffers from the CNL7 form of the disease which affects the nervous system and typically cause worsening problems with vision, movement, and thinking ability.

Affected children also develop muscle twitches, difficulty coordinating movements, speech impairment, and vision loss. Mental functioning and motor skills decline with age.

Businesses in Llandeilo grouped together to hold a fashion show and raffle at the White Hart Pub, in Llandeilo, last weekend.

The event, the idea of Georgina Williams, raised more than £2,000 for Oscar.

His mother, Carrie Baugh explained: “Oscar is practically blind and is losing his sight very quickly. It is really important that we keep him visually stimulated.

“He needs bright lights and colours on his toys, and relies almost completely on his hearing so needs noises as well.

“That means that some baby toys are a lot harder for him to use, so we have to look at special disability toys, but that makes the prices sky rocket. That is what this money will be used for.”

Georgina found out about Oscar’s story through a Facebook page set up by Carrie to raise awareness of his fight.

She said: “I set up the page a while back because I always had people asking how Oscar was getting on and taking an interest in him so I thought I would do something to keep them up to date and raise awareness of Batten Disease.

“I do not know Georgina personally but she saw the page and came to me to ask if they could do something to help.

“It is so nice to see people taking an interest and wanting to support Oscar. When I set the page up I never thought it would have as much reach as it has had.

“It is amazing to see people we have no connection with wanting to help Oscar and taking an interest in how he is getting on.”

To find out more about Oscar and his battle with Batten Disease, visit facebook.com/OscarsStoryWithBattens.