Padiham baby is fitted with his helmet of hope (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Padiham baby is fitted with his helmet of hope

10:28am Wednesday 2nd November 2011 in Padiham By Tyrone Marshall, Reporter

A BABY suffering from the rare flat head syndrome was fitted with a special helmet yesterday.

Five-month-old Fred Worth visited a clinic in Leeds to have the helmet, which he will have to wear for 23 hours-a-day for six to eight months, fitted.

It is hoped that the helmet will cure the syndrome, also known as plagiochephaly.

Last month mum Fiona Clarke, 31, from Padiham, started a fundraising campaign to raise £2,000 for the treatment.

She said: “It has been a good start to the fundraising and we have about £500 already, people have been very generous.

“We are still quite short of the target though and with Christmas coming up we need to raise as much as we can in the next month.”

Baby Fred will have to return to the Leeds clinic every fortnight to have the helmet readjusted.

Fiona said: “It took about two hours to fit the helmet, it is difficult to keep a baby’s head still at the best of times.”

Fiona said she is pressing ahead with the treatment, despite being able to fully fund it herself, because she feared Fred would suffer problems in later life, and be at risk of bullying.

“As he gets older it will become obvious and will be the first thing people see,” said Fiona.

“He will be more prone to bullying and I don’t want to risk that.

“To me, leaving it alone is not an option.”

A charity curry night is being held at Molly Rigby’s on November 19, with tickets £10 available from Macks Fishing in Burnley.

Fiona will also be fundraising at the Padiham Christmas lights switch-on on November 25.