WHEN the boss offers you a free lunch to talk about your future, how could Omar Pacha resist the temptation?

There had to be a catch, and a considerable time later, defenceman Pacha walked away as Hull Stingrays' new player-coach.

And he had persuaded Stingrays' owner Bobby McEwan that fellow Canadian Carl Lauzon should be his assistant coach.

Whether it's a golden chance or a poisoned chalice is not clear.

"I met with Bobby and we went out for lunch," said Pacha.

"He asked me about my plans for next season and he told me he wanted a player-coach. He was persistent, that's for sure, but I liked our conversation, we are on the same page."

Pacha had been keeping an open mind on his future, even pondering retiring to pursue other interests.

At 27, and after a stellar first season in Hull, it would have been a shame if he'd called time on his career at the peak of his powers.

However, he knows playing is not a long-term option and smart enough, as he's finishing his MSc in Management Consulting at the University of Hull.

"I think Carl had other offers to go to with more money, but when Bobby came up with the idea it was tough to say no," said Pacha.

"Coaching had crossed my mind.

"I'd worked at camps at home and juniors exhibition games as an assistant coach.

"Helping the young kids is what I am most excited about. Working with them and seeing them five or six years down the line become top players and thinking I've helped that in some way."

Pacha, though, is under no illusions he is in for a baptism of fire.

With only a one-year deal tucked away, with a further season's option, he needs to hit the ground skating.

Fortunately, Stingrays' fans are not the most demanding in the Elite League, aware budgetary restraints mean challenging for silverware is not a big possibility.

They may be less patient, given Pacha is replacing Sylvain Cloutier after five seasons at the helm.

"It's always tough as I really liked Sylvain and I played one of my better years for him," said Pacha, who arrived at the Rapid Solicitors Stingrays via Chamonix, Huntsville Havoc and Bloomington Blaze.

"I'm grateful for the chance Sylvain gave me, but at the same time it's a good opportunity for me.

"I was shocked when I heard Sylvain was going, as I thought he was one of the best coaches, but sometimes changes are good and hopefully this one could be good for this organisation."

And he anticipates using plenty of tips picked up from Cloutier, the man who signed him last summer, along with Lauzon.

"I'll not be a guy who will shout at team-mates," said Pacha.

"I'll be asking my players to follow the system, give 100 per cent and be good team-mates and if they don't they will hear from me or Carl."

Player-coaching roles are not noted for being easy, especially when you're moving from being a team-mate to being the coach.

As the duo will be living in the same club house – probably without their cook, more familiar to fans as forward Guillaume Doucet – they'll have plenty of time to discuss the game's finer points.

Pacha says he and Lauzon form a "comfortable team" after playing on the same sides for five seasons.

"I'd rather me get criticised and he takes all the good stuff," said Pacha. "You need one guy to make the final decision and that will be me.

"It's going to be our sixth year we have played together, so we know each other inside and out.

"We'll get little battles, agree to disagree and we move on. I'm confident in our partnership."

Pacha and Lauzon might be confident and fans happy, based on their playing displays last season.

As to their coaching qualities, the jury is surely out.

Given last season's players are out of contract, the duo are not "saddled" with those who might not take to their new coach.

"It depends how you see it," said Pacha, when it was pointed out he has no coaching experience.

"I'd rather start young and see what happens. At 27 it gives me extra motivation.

"I will give every guy a role on the team and they will have to bring that role to the table. If they do everything will be fine. If not, I will step in as quickly as possible.

"There will be team changes, not everyone will be back.

"A lot of people have phoned me and a few older guys from last year's team are interested in coming back, but not all will be. We have to try and upgrade and get better players.

"The one thing about Carl and I is we are passionate about hockey.

"We don't have much experience but we have to start somewhere.

"People are looking and are thinking 'Oh my God what have the club done' but it's an opportunity to surprise everyone. I just hope fans give us a chance next season."

A RUGBY player who shattered his back on the field is to take part in a charity swim for the organisation that helped him back onto his feet.

Pete Stephenson dislocated his neck and broke two vertebrae while playing eight years ago.

The former West Hull and Dockers player, of east Hull, was given a bleak prognosis, but after months of rehabilitation he was able to walk again with the aid of crutches.

A major part of his rehabilitation was swimming and he now wants to challenge himself to swim 5km to raise money for Rugby League Cares, for whom he is an ambassador, as well as the Steve Prescott Foundation.

He said: "I began thinking about this at the start of the year. It has been a long time since my accident and the rehabilitation gets a bit mundane some days. It always helps to have a bit of a goal to reach.

"Rugby League Cares has helped me throughout my injury.

"A player in Australia has just suffered a similar injury to mine and it is only a matter of time before that happens in this country.

"When it does, Rugby League Cares is where they will go."

The 5km is the equivalent of about 200 lengths of the 25m pool at Total Fitness in Willerby.

He will take on the challenge on Saturday.

Mr Stephenson is also raising funds for the Steve Prescott Foundation.

Rugby league star Mr Prescott died in November after a seven- year battle with pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare form of stomach cancer.

After his diagnosis in 2006, he set up the Steve Prescott Foundation to raise funds for the specialist cancer hospital that treated him, The Christie, and for Try Assist.

The foundation also now supports the Oxford Transplant Foundation.

The two met two years after Mr Stephenson's injury. He had organised a charity walk around East Park, where he was attempting to walk a mile, and The Steve Prescott Foundation asked if Mr Prescott could go along and support him.

Mr Stephenson has since taken part in fundraisers for the foundation.

He said: "He inspired me in many ways because he was a fighter and wasn't prepared to give up.

"When I felt down, I would think of Steve and what he was going through and it gave me a kick I needed.

"I guess almost everyone, at some point, has been affected by this most horrible of diseases – I lost my father to cancer in 2005.

"By forming the Steve Prescott Foundation, Steve did a hell of a lot for the Christie Charity and Rugby League Cares, and he would want his legacy to live on."

A bucket collection will be held at the pool and people can also sponsor Mr Stephenson via www.justgiving.com/Pete-Stephenson1

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The Vikings progressed to the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a 30-20 victory over Salford Red Devils – KR's next opponents after Denis Betts' men.

Meanwhile, Craig Sandercock's men were handed a break following their earlier Cup exit, something which Weyman sees as a slight advantage.

"I guess teams like to go into games on a bit of a roll, and Widnes are doing that at the moment," he told the Mail.

"They have more game time under their belts but all of our boys feel super pumped and ready to go.

"We'd have loved to have been in the Cup, but the break came at a perfect time for us.

"Hopefully their Cup match will have taken a lot out of their tank, especially as their forward pack is huge. It's a test I'm looking forward to."

Widnes are the surprise package so far in Super League XIX, sitting pretty in fifth, with six wins from nine, which included a thrilling 40-26 victory over St Helens.

But Weyman is expecting Rovers to make the Vikings work hard for a result, and says home advantage will play a crucial role to the Robins chances.

"Any game we have at home we want to win, but this is a game we have pinpointed to get something from," he added.

"We'd love to make our stadium a fortress, and need to make their star players intimidated early on. I'm confident we can keep Widnes at bay."

LEE Radford admits he's facing the biggest dilemma of his Hull FC coaching career so far in selecting a team to face Wakefield Wildcats.

Hull head into Sunday's match at the KC Stadium with just Tom Lineham and Bobby Tyson-Wilson as the only players not fit for selection out of the entire first-team squad.

It's left Radford with a headache which he says has seen the intensity rise at training with everyone desperate to force his hand.

"We've had a 14-day turnaround and everybody in the squad is pretty much fit now," Radford told the Mail.

"I have a lot of decisions to make this week and they're going to be tough decisions.

"There is obviously the half-back combination, there's my centre combination and my front row too and that's before we get to the bench.

"There are some real tough decisions for me to make this week and this is probably the first time I've had to make these sort of decisions. They're headaches, but ones that I want as a coach."

The return to full fitness of Jason Crookes provides Radford with his first choice to make, with the wing man fighting alongside Liam Colbon for a spot.

The same competition lies in the front row with seven fit props all vying for a place, but it is in the halves where no doubt most of the focus will once again lie.

After returning from a minor injury with two games from the bench, Richard Horne is in contention to win back his starting role.

A return for Horne would leave either Jordan Rankin or Jacob Miller disappointed, a fact not lost on Radford.

"I will go with my gut feeling, but it's about training this week and how the players perform," adds Radford.

"The players are pushing for selection in training at the minute and there is nothing in it when it comes to some of the positions.

"It was like that with the decision between Liam Watts and Paleaaesina recently and it is the same with Miller, Rankin and Horne this week, there is nothing in it.

"It comes down to training and how the players impress. Certainly this week more than any other so far, what the players do at training will sway my decision."

A JEALOUS thug with a history of violence stamped on the face of a homeless man so hard that he left his footprint on his fractured cheek. Stephen Walsham, 29, launched a vicious attack on James Robinson in a hostel in Hull just because he saw him sitting next to a former partner in her flat.

Hull Crown Court heard Walsham had been in an "on-off" relationship with Emma Shan, but at the time of the attack on March 9 last year it was off.

A few days earlier, Miss Shan had bumped into Mr Robinson, a former partner, who was "down on his luck" and homeless, and she invited him to stay at her ground-floor flat in a hostel in Westbourne Avenue, west Hull, to help.

They had been out drinking and fallen asleep together on the sofa when they were woken by a banging at the window between 10.45pm and 11pm.

It was Walsham, accompanied by two unidentified men, and he was heard to shout by another resident: "Emma, you ******* slag, I saw you sitting with him on the sofa through the window."

Mr Robinson, who was oblivious to the shouting, opened the door to find out what the banging was about and was confronted by Walsham, who had got in despite security measures at the communal entrance.

He was hit so hard in the chest that he fell to the floor unconscious, and could remember nothing else until he woke up in Hull Royal Infirmary.

A resident recalled hearing a "loud thud", as if someone was falling to the floor, and then "five or six blows in quick succession", Andrew Semple, prosecuting, told the court.

Mr Robinson suffered serious injuries, including a cut to his lip that needed stitches, a cut to his right eye, and a depressed fracture of the left cheekbone.

Paramedics noticed a "distinctive herringbone pattern" that had been left by the attacker's shoe.

When Walsham was arrested police recovered his footwear, which had herringbone-patterned soles.

Both shoes had blood on them and the right shoe also had particles of skin on the sole, which a forensic scientist said was "indicative of forceful contact".

DNA tests showed the chances of the blood not being Mr Robinson's were one in a billion.

The court heard Walsham, of Coltman Street, west Hull, had eight previous convictions for 19 offences, including attacks on his parents, sister and brother-in-law.

Walsham, who was jailed for two years for grievous bodily harm with intent, is already a serving prisoner, having committed another offence of violence on May 13 last year, while he was on bail for the attack on Mr Robinson.

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Although Bruce's first target is to ensure the last step towards survival is taken when the Tigers travel to Aston Villa on Saturday, there is an ambition to finish the campaign as high as possible.

Under the terms of a new and improved television deal that has come into play this season, each place in the Premier League could be worth approximately £1.3m in prize money.

The exact figures will not be known until the end of the season, but are expected to be significantly higher than the £750,000 each place was worth in 2012-13.

City could feasibly finish as high as 10th with three games still to play, although climbing above Swansea into 12th would appear the more attainable target. The difference between that and ending down the table in 16th, for example, would be somewhere in the region of £5.2m.

With a run to next month's FA Cup final set to bring in a further £6m, Bruce hopes City's ground-breaking achievements can have a positive impact on his budget for the coming summer.

"The higher up we go, the bigger budget I get and the better players we can bring in. I hope that's how the owner sees it, anyway," said Bruce.

"If we finish where we are or a place higher, it pays for a (Nikica) Jelavic or a (Shane) Long. We're in 13th, and we budgeted to finish 20th.

"It is about a million quid a place so all of those things are huge to a club like ours.

"Of course, it's vitally important. We won't be stopping. If we can stay where we are, then the budgets could mean another player next year. That is what we have to do."

The potential for an involvement in next season's Europa League would need Bruce to gather a bigger squad this summer but there is no prospect of a complete overhaul.

A tight-knit unit has been improved since promotion out of the Championship last season but their evolution has been careful not to sacrifice the values that have taken City to new heights.

"Sometimes I've been blessed with good groups as a manager," said Bruce, who knows a likely top-four finish for Arsenal would see them qualify for Europe as FA Cup finalists.

"I think of a great group I had at Birmingham for three or four wonderful years and this one reminds me of that.

"They're so close. Even the subs who are disappointed not to be playing are out there celebrating on the pitch. They desperately want to be Premier League players.

"This club has moved on so far in the last two years.

"If you consider a dark day we had at Hartlepool (in pre-season 2012) to the players we've got today, it just shows you how far.

"But we must keep on improving. Once the achievement has sunk in, it's gone. It only lasts a couple of days with me and we move on to the next one."

GREEN Party candidates have launched their campaign for the Hull and Euro elections in what is being billed as the city's most eco-friendly terrace house. Along with his partner Isabel, Richard Howarth has transformed their 1930s end-terrace home in Inglemire Avenue, north Hull, into a model of energy efficiency.

In doing so, they have cut their energy bills while being paid through feed-in tariffs for the renewable energy the house generates with rooftop solar panels and a solar thermal unit that heats water.

Richard, who is standing in the city's University ward in next month's council elections, believes the house is a practical example of Green Party policies in action.

"When we moved to Hull we deliberately looked for a house to do this kind of project," he said.

"This one was ideal because it was cold, a bit damp and not very energy efficient.

"I'm more of a DIY enthusiast than an expert so I did what I could myself and got the real experts in when needed."

Andrew Cooper, the Green Party's lead candidate in Yorkshire and the Humber, was the latest of impressed visitors to tour the property earlier this week.

He said: "What Richard has done here is exactly what the Greens have been campaigning on for years," he said.

"This type of project demonstrates how money can be recycled back into the local economy by using local products rather than people continuing to pay huge household bills to the big remote energy firms.

"It also shows where public funding priorities should lie.

"Instead of spending huge sums on things like HS2 and the Trident programme, that money could go on making sure thousands of people live in better-insulated homes."

As well as being the party's energy and environment spokesman, he is currently one of five Green councillors on Kirklees in West Yorkshire.

His goal on the Euro-election trail is secure more European funding for sustainable energy schemes.

In Hull, where the Greens have yet to make an election breakthrough, the party is fielding five candidates.

Alongside Richard, Martin Deane is standing in Avenue, James Russell is contesting Bricknell, Michael Lammiman is in Myton and Angela Needham is standing in Orchard Park and Greenwood.

Richard has reduced energy use in his home by installing LED lighting, low-energy appliances, a low-flow shower head and a clothes drier, which he hangs from his ceiling, and installed an extractor fan with heat recovery in his bathroom to prevent mould.

He used materials such as recycled plastic, wood fibre boards and lime plaster for wall insulation, and recycled newspaper for loose-fill insulation beneath the floor and timber doors.

Some of the steps he has taken to make his home energy efficient include:

• Trebling the insulation in his roof, from 100mm to 300mm, funded by Warm Zone in Hull and expected to save £37 a year.

• Fitting internal wall insulation using wood fibre boards and lime plaster on the front and rear of the property, which preserves the look of the building, as well as preserving heat.

• Insulating floors with plastic sheeting over joists to prevent drafts.

• Fitting radiator reflectors, made of foil, on the walls behind the radiators to prevent the loss of heat.

• Tightening the air in his home by covering gaps, such as key hole covers.

To find out more about Richard's renovations, visit inglehome.co.uk

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THE family and friends of Beverley teenager Emily Morfitt have planned a special walk in her memory.

The walk, which will take place in Beverley Westwood on Sunday, will raise money for Redwings Horse Sanctuary, a charity close to Emily's heart.

Organiser and family friend Cheryl Penney said: "Emily was a huge lover of animals and she loved the Redwings Horse Charity.

"We held a memory walk a few weeks ago for all of Emily's friends but we wanted to do something to raise money for a charity she supported.

"We want people to come along and bring their animals with them, whether it is horses, dogs or rabbits.

"This will be a walk to celebrate Emily's life and raise money for a charity she was very proud of."

Emily, 19, was killed in the early hours of Sunday, March 30, when her car left the A1174 at Woodmansey and hit a bollard.

She had recently celebrated her birthday with friends and family and aspired to be a professional tattoo artist.

Emily loved animals and spending time with her golden retriever Max.

She also loved horses and would often go horse riding with family and friends.

Cheryl, 29, said: "Emily started horse riding when she was a little girl.

"She used to have her own horse called Honey.

"She was just such a lovely girl.

"Emily loved animals, she was very sociable and just a cute and innocent girl. We all miss her so much."

The walk will take place at 10am on Sunday and those wishing to take part are asked to make a small donation to charity.

Walkers should meet at the black mill on the Westwood.

Cheryl said: "We haven't got an exact route planned yet as we are liaising with the police, as hopefully there will be a lot of people and animals attending."

Anyone wishing to give a donation to the charity in Emily's memory can visit justgiving.com/Cheryl-Penney where more information is available.

LORRIES have been driving into the centre of Cottingham, thanks to misdirection by sat navs. HGVs have been heading along Thwaite Street to search for the Swift Group caravan factory after a new road failed to register on electronic maps or postcode searches.

The heavy traffic has been causing confusion for motorists and pedestrians alike.

Now, village councillors are calling on sat nav companies to solve the problem.

Ros Jump, who represents Cottingham North ward, said: "If the lorries manage to get through Cottingham, they arrive at Swift's back door and they're not allowed in.

"So we've then got them coming back through Cottingham. It's really been an absolute shambles."

The access road lorries should be using, Ken Smith Way, was built in 2011 and connects to the A1079 between Beverley and Hull.

It was created so drivers would not have to go through the middle of Cottingham to the old Swift entrance.

The caravan firm said it was working with suppliers to solve the problem.

A spokesman said: "Swift Group has, since the opening of Ken Smith Way in 2011, continued to regularly liaise with all our suppliers and has provided maps and directions to the new gate.

"At the time of registering the postcode that was allocated to Swift, we were told it may take some time to register with sat nav providers.

"Swift has subsequently tried at all times to provide assistance and support in resolving the issue with frequent communication with East Riding Council, the local Post Office and the various sat nav companies."

Cllr Jump said most of the lorry drivers came from the continent and struggled to ask for help.

She praised Swift for creating an entrance away from the village and said more needed to be done by others to make it easy to find.

Cllr Jump said: "With no clear signage, and many of the drivers lacking basic English skills, they seem unable to use their sat navs or ask for clear directions.

"HGVs have been found wandering around the Willerby area, hopelessly lost, and it has been down to a few good Samaritans to personally guide them.

"We are worried that having reduced the number of HGV movements through the village due to Swift's dedicated entrance, we now have the problem returning."

Her fellow ward Councillor Gerladine Mathieson said she feared the problem would "cause a great deal of inconvenience to a lot of people".

The postcode is designed to ensure the accurate sorting, routing and delivery of our customers' mail. Postcodes were created for the routing of mail and, as such, may not reflect the exact geography of an area.

Other organisations, including sat nav companies, who may use our data, should not solely rely on the post town and should make sure they are using the most updated postcode address file. We recommend companies use a number of different tools to identify locations as well as the local knowledge and experience of dealing with people in remote and rural areas.

The postcode is just one such tool, but it will not be appropriate in all circumstances.

• Transport news from the Hull Daily Mail

NOT many four-year-olds can boast of modelling contracts and celebrity friends.

But then Luca Benbrook is no ordinary youngster.

His cute curls and adorable smile stood out from more than 10,000 entries in a special competition.

He won the Baby K modelling contest, run by Gurgle magazine and Mothercare, to win a photoshoot with Myleene Klass.

Luca, of Hessle, features in the latest edition of Gurgle alongside the singer to launch her latest range of Baby K clothing.

Mum Amelia Benbrook, 34, said: "We couldn't believe it when he won.

"He had his hair done and they really treated him well.

"They had sweets and music at the photoshoot and made it really fun.

"It was in these really posh studios in London and the whole time he was there everyone was really encouraging."

Amelia, who lives with husband Richard, 45, and their other son Tristan, two, in Westbourne Grove, Hessle, found out about the competition when she received an email from Mothercare.

She uploaded a picture on Facebook and crossed her fingers that she would hear something back.

A few months before the closing date, she received an email to say Luca was a finalist.

Amelia said: "They said he was in the final 12 and asked me to email some more pictures.

"I just couldn't believe it when they told me.

"From all the entries, they had picked Luca. There were about 10,000 entries, so he was really lucky to be selected."

In the end, judges decided to give the prize to two boys and two girls and lucky Luca was one of them.

In March, he was whisked off to London to be treated like a celebrity and pose for photographs with Myleene Klass.

"She was really lovely," said Amelia. "She was really down to earth and very chatty.

"She is as beautiful in real life as she seems on television and in pictures too.

"Myleene has two little ones herself, so she was very good with the kids – she was playing with them and making them laugh."

The edition Luca features in was released a few days ago and Amelia and Richard rushed out to buy copies.

She said: "It is over six pages with lots of different pictures with Luca and the others in different outfits.

"There is an interview with the kids as well as Myleene talking about the clothes.

"We bought lots of copies for all the family and we're really pleased with how it looks."

Part of Luca's prize included a modelling contract with an agency.

In the few weeks he has been signed to them, Luca has already gone back to London for another photoshoot for the Early Learning Centre.

"I don't think he realises how well he has done," said Amelia.

"He knows he won the competition and he had a good laugh at the photoshoot.

"He clearly enjoyed it as he keeps asking 'when can we go to London again?'"

Police are warning revellers to behave this bank holiday following a number of alcohol-fuelled offences over Easter. Violent and drunken disorderly offences typically soar due to bank holiday binge drinking across the city and in nearby towns.

On Good Friday and Easter Saturday, two partygoers were involved in violence in Hessle Square, including one man who was arrested after he punched the landlord of a bar. Now, police are warning troublemakers they will be watched this weekend and urged others to report any sign of crime and disorder.

Inspector David Braysmith said: "We generally receive an increase in calls over a weekend to do with antisocial behaviour. It is well known there is a link between alcohol and antisocial behaviour.

"Antisocial behaviour that is caused by alcohol use, particularly in outside areas, is often linked to vandalism, graffiti, litter, like empty cans and beer bottles being left behind, and noise, including swearing."

At a recent East Riding Council licensing sub-committee hearing regarding Hessle's Corner Bar's application to extend its opening hours over bank holidays, which was permitted, licensing officer Tina Holtby confirmed there had been widespread trouble in Hessle.

But police say they expect crime and disorder to rise everywhere this bank holiday.

To combat the issue, there will be more officers on the beat keeping an eye on potential troublemakers.

More specialist units will also work the weekend, including in domestic violence and abuse, which also soars as a result of the binge-drinking bank holidays attract.

"We will ensure we have a presence in towns and in the city to avoid an overspill of excitement or drunken feuds leading to antisocial behaviour, violence and aggression," said Insp Braysmith.

"We will have more specialists units working, specialising in domestic violence and abuse, which statistically rise during a large sporting events or national holidays."

Residents living close to party hotspots also suffer the fallout from binge-drinking, with many expecting to wake up to vomit in their gardens and litter down their streets.

Insp Braysmith said: "They should put themselves in the shoes of residents living nearby, do they really want to hear drunken conversations as they walk home?

"People might think it is harmless but, for residents, it can be very distressing and would all count as antisocial behaviour.

"When finishing an evening we want people to remember they have decided to go out, the neighbours have not. Their right to a quiet life should be respected."

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A REVOLUTIONARY invention, which is helping wheelchair-bound children to walk, will soon be used by an East Yorkshire youngster. Claire Stockton will see her eight-year-old son Finley walk for the first time thanks to the Upsee.

Finley, who has an undiagnosed condition that means he has the mental age of an 18-month-old, has never experienced simple joys such as kicking a football. But when the new invention arrives at his west Hull home, he will be able to stand upright and walk.

The harness, which attaches to an adult's legs and holds the child next to them, was invented by Debby Elnatan for her son, who has cerebral palsy.

It made international headlines when it went on sale in March and has been dubbed a "revolution" by parents of disabled youngsters.

"I think there will be a few tears when he first uses it," said Claire, 41.

"It will be a life-changing thing for him.

"He'll get that feeling of what its like to walk for the first time.

"He'll be able to kick a ball with his dad and know what the sensation of walking up and down stairs feels like.

"We're so happy we've been able to get one for him. I know it'll be a tear-jerking moment when we use it for the first time."

Claire, the founder and patron of The Echoes Foundation, says the charity will also be acquiring the equipment.

It means families with disabled children in this region will be able to try out the harness before buying it.

Claire said: "My husband Carl just ran the Manchester Marathon and raised money through sponsorship.

"So we've been able to use some of the money to buy one for The Echoes Foundation.

"I had confirmation from them the other day that Finley's is ready, so we're hoping it will just be a couple of days now before it arrives.

"It is only £269 minus the VAT, so it really is affordable. You'd think something this good would be thousands of pounds.

"It is incredible and will help so many families."

Debby, a music therapist, came up with the concept to help her son Rotem.

After a global search for a company to mass-produce her Upsee, the Israeli mother chose manufacturer Leckey in Northern Ireland, which has a long history of making equipment for children with special needs.

Successful trials were held with families in the UK, US and Canada, before the Firefly Upsee was launched globally in March this year.

Claire, who lives in west Hull with husband Carl, 43, Finley, eight, and daughter Lauryn, 14, is also helping organise an Echoes Foundation trip to a music and arts festival.

Disability Rocks is being held in Ilkley Moor and two coach-loads of families from the Hull area will be travelling over for the day on Saturday, June 7.

One coach is already full, but tickets are still on sale for the other coach. The coach and entry is £8 per person.

The coach will leave at about 9am and arrive back in Hull for about 9pm.

The festival is totally disability-friendly and even has a wet room for people to use.

Anyone interested in tickets should call The Echoes Foundation on 01482 505589.

• Visit the Echoes Foundation website.