A SPECIAL sound kit to help a three-year-old boy with special needs has been provided by Horrabridge Cavaliers. The £250 kit was presented to Ben Furse, of Horrabridge, who has been in hospital more than 30 times. Ben was born with a cleft lip and palate and had his first operation at four months. In 2003 he was taken ill and was diagnosed with a rare hormone deficiency condition affecting only one in 25,000 people. Later that year tests showed he also had a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are not connected. Ben attends a special needs nursery where he is surrounded by stimulating light and sound toys, but his parents were unable to afford similar toys for him at home. Horrabridge Cavaliers decided to spend some of the £500 raised at their Christmas charity auction on equipment for him. The sound kit contains various specially designed items which make different sounds and which will help stimulate Ben while he is at home. Chris Tear, chairman of the Cavaliers, said: ?We raise money for various good causes, mainly in the village, and as soon as we heard about Ben we knew he was an ideal case for our help.? Ben?s mother, Caroline Furse, said she was ?extremely grateful? for the Cavaliers? help. ?Ben needs a lot of special equipment to help him lead a normal life, and the specialist toys are very expensive. ?We have been telling Ben?s story to everyone we meet in the hope that we can get some help.?
