If you need something to make life bearable, don’t give up. That’s the message from a Farnham woman after successfully taking her fight to get a Blue Badge for her son to the next level.

Everyday life is now a little more everyday for Hannah Sheridan and Eden thanks to her determination and a little intervention from Greg Stafford MP.

Hannah’s son Eden is nine and has autism, while he’s also non-verbal and suffers with severe sensory needs.

Hannah said: “Eden’s sensory needs can be very debilitating for him and can cause him great distress.

“He is technically able to work but he is unable to most of the time and as a family we rely heavily on his wheelchair. We have several issues that mean that without the wheelchair we are completely isolated and unable to take Eden out.”

Eden has severe learning difficulties and is often unaware of the world around him. He can become overwhelmed and will run away, a reaction made more dangerous by his lack of awareness of road safety.

However, he feels secure in his wheelchair and if he sees the chair is usually happy to get into it.

“We need the Blue Badge to park in spaces near where we are going,” added Hannah.

“For instance, when we go swimming if we can park right outside the pool Eden will recognise the building and understand where we are going and he will want to go swimming.

“But if we have to park round the corner he will be very distressed and not be able to get out of the car. And I need the space alongside the car which a disabled parking space gives me to be able to help Eden.”

Hannah first applied to Surrey County Council for a Blue Badge in November 2024 but was turned down because, physically, Eden can walk.

She had the support of her GP and the home link worker at Eden's school but could not get further than the reply that he was ineligible.

In despair, Hannah turned to Greg Stafford, MP, who was able to contact someone higher up in the council.

Hannah said: “It wasn’t a simple tickbox application and it needed someone to read the paperwork and realise that this wasn’t a straightforward scenario.”

The application was read carefully and the Blue Badge granted, delighting the mother and son from the Crondall Lane area, an opening up a summer of opportunity.

She said: “We can go swimming, we went to Birdworld recently and could park near the entrance and get the chair out.

“Lots of places are accessed by rough tracks and we can’t park and push the chair over the tracks or over gravel, so parking in a disabled space has made going out possible.”

Hannah knows others who have been rejected for a Blue Badge even though they needed and warranted one.

Her advice to them is: “Be determined, don’t give up, and get someone higher up politically to help you!”