Despite the difficulties Reid Farmer faces every day the 12-year-old from Ross is helping raise awareness of other children's genetic disorders with the children's charity, Jeans for Genes. Together with his family he will be wearing jeans on Friday, October 7th to help raise money for research into genetic disorders.

Reid has Fragile X Syndrome, a rare genetic condition leading to delays in walking, hyperactive or impulsive behaviour and intellectual disability. It is one of the most common forms of learning disability in the UK, but it is also one of the least understood. Yet it does not stop young lads like Reid learning and achieving a lot in life – if they get the right support. Reid's parents Catherine and Trevor, are devoted to their son and keen to see him develop.

They acknowledge that it would have been a lot harder without the help of charities like Jean for Genes. And in these times of austerity and threats to public services, help from charitable sources is a source of comfort for many families in similar situations.

Catherine explained that Reid's love of horseriding has only been made possible through the Herefordshire Learning Disability Trust, (HLDT) a charity that will benefit from the Jeans for Genes day on October 7th.

"It is through the Trust that Reid learned to ride a horse, and this has become his favourite activity," said Catherine. "For a long time he wasn't interested in anything, which was a concern. But riding has been like a form of therapy for him. It calms him right down and it's been a real turning point for him."

Reid has two younger sisters, Charlotte and Lydia, who aren't affected by Fragile X. The girls are central to his life, said Catherine. "Without them he'd be in a little bubble trapped in an autistic world with no one to interact with. They get him to play tag, play on the trampoline and help him have a normal life, even though he has this condition."

HLDT still needs the continuing support of the Herefordshire community, including Ross, to help achieve their aims to help young people like Reid, have fulfilled and secure lives.

"As a family, we have dreams of one day going on a ranch holiday – something we could all do together," said Catherine. "We don't know if it'll ever happen but in the meantime, just seeing him so calm and happy on a horse is an amazing thing in itself."