A 'seriously ill' child from Putney has had his garden transformed complete with a trampoline, climbing wall and play equipment by volunteers.

As part of its Helping Hands project, charity WellChild recruited a group of volunteers from Oxford Economics and renovated 11-year-old Terence’s garden, in Huntingfield Road, which had low fences and several other hazards.

Terence has a range of conditions that include autism, severe learning difficulties and ADHD, and as well as being non-verbal and a limited awareness of danger, he requires constant one-to-one supervision to remain safe.

He is hyperactive and has trouble sleeping, making daily life for parents Chantal Panzu and Nsimba Lema, as well as 13-year-old sister Jaylie, difficult.

Chantal, 35, said: “It feels good [to see the new garden] because you have people who come and support your child. They understand our situation, they know that we are going through so many things, especially our son. I don’t know how to explain, but we feel relieved that the garden was built and he has a place to play.

“He’s playing there, but because of the weather changing he cannot stay out there for too long. But I take him out there, he stays in the garden for an hour and he enjoys it. You can see the child smiling, before he wasn’t like that.”

The project to redesign his garden aims to help regulate his energy levels and allow him to participate in family life with great ease, and potentially improve his sleep quality.

Because it was unsafe and he could not play outside to burn off excess energy, the team created an area in the garden that includes artificial grass, secure fencing, a trampoline, play equipment and a climbing wall.

The mother-of-two added: “He would go out and I would be scared because it wasn’t safe [for him]. But now I can sit in my living room and look through the window and know he will be safe, so my son is really happy and you can see that he is different now.

"It’s great for our family, even our daughter [Jaylie] because she can play and run outside, and it makes it us happy that we have a place that we can enjoy outdoors, not just indoors.”

Lee Trunks, WellChild’s Helping Hands manager, said: “We are delighted to have been able to carry out this Helping Hands garden project for the family with the help of our enthusiastic volunteers from Oxford Economics.

“Thanks to their hard work Terence will now have a safe, fun place to play with his family.”