William Spencer (6) is encouraging everyone to walk at least 10,000 steps a day for the Steptember Challenge, raising awareness of cerebral palsy (CP).

Did you know cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood?

It affects people in different ways and can affect body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance.

William, a student of Eagle Point Primary School, is affected by spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy that mainly affects the legs and lower half of body.

William has many challenges in daily living, but this doesn’t stop him from enjoying life and getting out and about in the local community.

“Equipment and walking aides are really important for kids like William,” Melinda Spencer, William’s mother, said.

“Without early access to equipment and therapy, many kids miss out on early intervention and support.

“I do the Steptember Challenge every year to raise awareness of CP. While 10,000 steps daily at times is ahugeeffort,Iseeitasa great way to set new healthy habits for the spring/summer and living in such a beautiful place to walk is an added bonus.

“The average office worker only takes 4000 steps per day so 10,000 is quite an effort.“

The Steptember Challenge is a fundraising initiative for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA), a predominately New South Wales and ACT based service.

Melinda encourages anyone looking to donate to support local services supplying children like William with equipment loans and therapy.

“When waiting for funding and now NDIS applications to be approved, it’s the loan of equipment that can assist when waiting without knowing a timeframe,” Melinda said.

“Many items cost more than a thousand dollars and for your average family to purchase are too expensive to buy outright.”

Yooralla, Noah’s Ark and VPRS are all Victorian organisations that provide to this area, and the Cerebral Palsy Support Network (CPSN) is the Victorian CP organisation.

William has his own Facebook and Instagram page. You can follow him by searching for Willygadventureswithcp on the various social media platforms.

Melinda is also Team leader of the “Paynesville Pavement Pounders”. You can follow their progress and donate on the Steptember website.

PICTURED: William Spencer, who suffers from cerebral palsy, is encouraging people to walk 10,000 steps a day for the Steptember Challenge.