A DISABLED Teesdale boy has proved life has no limits after becoming the star of a high street fashion campaign which celebrates diversity.
Five-year-old Teddy Berriman, who lives at Burnt Houses, has been hired to model the new children’s clothing range for the well-known fashion brand River Island. Teddy was born prematurely at 32 weeks and spent the first two weeks of his life in intensive care.
At two, doctors discovered that Teddy was brain damaged. Following an MRI scan, he was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder called spastic quadriplegia, a disabling form of spastic cerebral palsy.
The condition mainly affects his lower limbs meaning that he can’t walk, stand or sit unaided. He needs round-the-clock care and must use a frame or wheelchair to move around. He also suffers from three different types of epilepsy, autism, is partially sighted and is incontinent.
Last June, Teddy was signed up by Zebedee Management, a modelling agency which specialises in representing people with disabilities.
In November, he attended his first photo shoot and proved he is not camera shy.
Teddy’s face is now a prominent feature in River Island stores nationwide as part of the brand’s latest campaign, Labels Are For Clothes, which celebrates individuality.
Teddy’s mum, Nicola Short, said: “Teddy loved it. He really enjoyed it. He gets so excited when he sees his face in shops. His face lights up. It’s me, look, he says.”
The Butterknowle Primary School pupil is one of six children to be selected to represent the brand. Each of the children, who are aged between three and ten, has a disability such as cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome or sight issues.
Ms Short said: “As a mother of a child with disabilities it’s obviously fantastic to have the opportunity to promote diversity and acceptance.”
Teddy, who also attends Percy Hedley School, in Newcastle, for conductive education sessions, is now waiting to catch a glimpse of himself on TV.
He is to feature in a children’s television show which will be aired on CBeebies in June.
Ms Short added: “It’s a massive boost for Teddy’s self-esteem. It is also a great achievement for myself and the professionals involved in Teddy’s development. We are ecstatic.”
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![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
