Trips to see and spend time with family and friends have been made easier for one young girl after she received help from fundraisers.

Isabella Alford, from Thetford, has Tay Sach's deisease - a rare genetic disorder which causes progressive damage to the nervous system - which made trips out hard because she needed to be hoisted out of her wheelchair.

However the eight-year-old has received a portable hoist from New Life the Charity for Disabled Children who are able to buy equipment for families because of support from Central England Co-operative- including the co-operative travel shop in Thetford.

Deborah Alford, Isabella's mother, said: 'The hoist has made a big difference. Whereas before we had to plan routes out around suitable changing facilities, now we have the hoist we can go almost anywhere.

'It is an integral part of our days out and has helped us take Isabella further afield to stay with friends and family.'

Newlife, the UK's largest charity provider of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness, has been Central England Co-operative's staff-elected charity since 2012, receiving £1,336,087 from in-store and personal fundraising activities.

Angela McCall, manager at the Co-operative's Travel Shop in Thetford, said: 'Central England Co-operative takes fundraising to help local communities very seriously, and we are committed to making a positive impact in the local areas in which we trade.

'Working with Newlife has provided a great opportunity for us to help make life easier for youngsters like Isabella.' For more information about Newlife click here