A HOUSEBUILDER has given £1,000 to help a toddler who was not expected to survive after birth.

Aiden Mitchell, who is nearly two, was unresponsive at birth and did not take his first breath until 28 minutes later.

He has been pre-diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, and to reach his potential he will need specialist equipment and continuous therapy, not all of which can be provided by the NHS.

His family, from Witham, are raising money to help pay for the treatment and Persimmon Homes Essex has come forward with a £1,000 donation.

Aiden’s mum, Fleur Mitchell, said: “Aiden has therapy at Brainwave in Witham and also does Hippotherapy weekly along with hydrotherapy, all of which is self-funded.

“It is very costly so we are extremely grateful to Persimmon Homes for this generous donation.

“Aiden is a very happy, charming little boy and tries hard at all his therapies. He is the light of our life and he’ll be over the moon.”

The donation comes as part of Persimmon’s Community Champions scheme.

The scheme began last year allowing charities and groups to apply for funding up to the value of £1,000 to match money they have already raised themselves.

Aiden won the Pride of Essex Child of Courage award last year and continues to raise money for the charities that helped him.

Kim Oates, head of sales for Persimmon Homes Essex, said: “We’re delighted to be able to make this donation to help with Aiden’s treatment.

“Aiden has raised over £32,000 for three charities. We’re pleased to be able to return the favour by handing over this money.

“The Community Champions scheme gives us the opportunity to support good causes every single month. We have already donated over £25,000 and we’ve committed to supporting more charities and community groups for another 12 months."

Aiden has raised money for various charities that have including Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, the Sick Children’s Trust and Action Medical Research, as well as funding some of his own physiotherapy at Brainwave.