Make-A-Wish teenager has special moment with Disney idols

Barney Gardner, from Ashton-under-Hill, met several of his favourite Disney characters thanks to Make-A-Wish.

The 14-year-old has a condition called lissencephaly, which is characterized by smooth brain surfaces, and doctors had initially only given him two years to live. 

Barney meeting Winnie the Pooh characters. (Image: PA) Barney’s mother, Beverley Gardner, said she had a by-the-book pregnancy with him and it was when he reached six months that complications started.

But over 13 years later, Barney is still making every day count. 

Mrs Gardner said: "He’s 14 now, so we feel completely blessed that we’ve still got him.

"We live every day to the max, we always look for opportunities, and we’re always making memories."

Barney loved meeting Belle from Beauty and the Beast. (Image: PA) Disney UK and Make-A-Wish UK joined forces to deliver A Disney Wish, a unique Disney experience for over 200 children living with serious illnesses across the UK.

Families had been invited to the event at Hoar Cross Hall, a hotel in Staffordshire.

Barney’s favourite Disney character is Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and his mum added that he couldn't take his eyes off Cinderella.

“She’s probably one of his favourites, and then at the end, we managed to lift him out of his wheelchair, and he went on a beanbag in the front row,” she said.

Barney and Mickey. (Image: PA) “The storytelling and the way they brought it all to life was absolutely fantastic, and then the princesses all came in the end, and Cinderella actually chose Barney to dance with.

"So she was dancing with him in his wheelchair.

“He couldn’t take his eyes off her and then he got to have one-to-one meet and greets with all the other princesses.”

Sara Hanson, director of corporate social responsibility at Disney EMEA, added it is a “privilege” to bring the “magic” of Disney to families through the experience.

“What I notice walking around is how many times families tell you it’s been the first time ever their child has gone on a ride or the first time ever that they have sat through a whole show,” she said.

“It’s that that makes it ever so special is that we can take that time and really make this experience tailored around the child, which I think gives people a lot of opportunities to have those first-time-ever moments that they might not be able to get elsewhere.”