Disabled Eastbourne teen creates postcard for charity auction

Charlie Carroll has a disability called Fragile X Syndrome and is a student at The Lindfield School, a school that caters for children with special educational needs and is part of The Southfield Trust.

Charlie can often be found painting at home. Steve Carroll, Charlie’s dad, said: “We try our very best to use art as a form of therapy as we believe in the benefits of creating art.”

Steve is a military veteran and retired police officer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD had led him to receive therapy from a charity called Combat Stress. Steve said: “I believe this therapy helped keep me alive and distracted me from unhelpful thoughts. Combat Stress is the leading charity for veterans and has helped thousands of injured sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen.”

Now Combat Stress is holding a postcard auction and all proceeds will go towards helping veterans in crisis. Charlie has submitted a postcard to the auction. Steve said: “I think it is important to highlight his fantastic spirit. The auction is secret so Charlie’s postcard is placed next to artists from around the world. Celebrities have also provided their time to create a postcard and allow the charity to benefit from it. There really is an eclectic mix of art on show.

“We are very proud of Charlie’s inclusion in the secret postcard auction. Charlie himself will benefit from disability charities throughout his life and it is great to see him involved in a cause that is not directly related with his own disability needs.”

The auction runs until October 27, access it here.

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