THE LOOK on her face says it all – Chloe Fairlie is about to get her beautiful dream bedroom.
The seven-year-old from Knightswood won our room makeover competition, which we launched last year in association with City Building.
Her battle with a potentially life-threatening form of diabetes and her determination to help others won the hearts of judges and readers alike.
This week, work started on the room Chloe shares with her little sister Sophie – and both girls are “over the moon”.
Her mum Robyn said: “Chloe was so excited to come home from school and find the painters hard at work.
“She has built up a brilliant relationship with the designers and the rest of the team, who have been great at keeping us up to date with how the plans were coming along.
“I can’t wait to see her face when it’s all finished.”
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The design team is staying tight-lipped about the finished look, but the giant Little Mermaid mural on the wall has gone, and glimpses of pink and some fluffy fabric have been spotted…
“Chloe loves pink, and glitter and all kinds of glamour,” laughs Robyn. “She is very, very excited to see what the designers have come up with.
“Both girls were over the moon to see work starting.
“We decided to do up some of the rest of the house at the same time, so everything is a bit upside down at the moment. You can’t move for toys!”
Chloe was recently diagnosed with DKA - diabetic ketoacidosis - a severe, life-threatening complication of Type 1 diabetes, after a dramatic rush to hospital.
It means she has to be very careful about what and when she eats, and her parents – Robyn and dad Paul - have to get up three times a night to check her blood sugar levels.
The little girl never complains, however, and since coming out of hospital Chloe has organised bake sales to raise funds for diabetes charities, raised hundreds of pounds for charity and worked hard to raise awareness of the condition through giving talks at school and attending conferences.
The Knightwood Primary pupil, who also has a little brother Liam, who is one, has been keen to work closely with designers and craftsmen and women at City Building’s manufacturing factory, RSBi, in Springburn to discuss her ideas for a new room.
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Her bedroom is cramped, with no storage or play space so Lynsey Scott, the interior designer heading up the transformation is hoping to make the new room practical and beautiful.
“We are all really excited by this project,” smiles Lynsey.
“It’s wonderful to see Chloe’s face light up when she talks about it.”
City Building’s manufacturing supported factory, Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries (RSBi) provides a range of high quality products, all made on its site in Springburn, including office and educational furniture, kitchen and bathroom units, timber kits for houses and schools, student accommodation and beds and soft furnishings.
There are 260 staff on the site, more than half of whom have a disability, including visual and hearing impairments and learning difficulties.
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