Sir David Attenborough's birthday marked for young namesake in Derby

Baby Attenborough has a condition where many organs were not formed properly in the womb

A couple created a nature-themed sensory zone at home for their son to mark Sir David Attenborough's birthday.

James and Charlotte Currey are big fans of the naturalist and named their six-month-old son Attenborough after him.

He was born at the Royal Derby Hospital in December with a rare condition and has been unable to leave home since being discharged.

To toast Sir David's 94th birthday, the Curreys have created the zone in their lounge for Attenborough to play in.

"I spent 10 minutes running around the house grabbing anything green or leafy," said Mrs Currey, 33, from Derby.

"We had all the house plants in the lounge, different activities planned for him, birdsong playing all day, a water play area and nature-themed toys."

Attenborough was born with VACTERL Association, which means parts of his body did not form in the womb.

He has already had seven operations to move organs, and is waiting to have four more.

Charlotte Currey said it was nice to spend time at home and "feel like a normal family"

Doctors told the couple to keep him shielded at home until the end of the cold and flu season, but then the coronavirus pandemic took hold.

"Since January, he has only had three trips to the coffee shop for lunch and that's it," added Mrs Currey.

"But having been in and out of hospital a lot in the first few weeks, it is nice to be at home, and we feel like a normal family at the moment."

'From one Attenborough to another'

The environmentally-conscious couple said they chose the name because they wanted their child to be connected to someone "inspirational".

"We wanted our child's name to be something we could teach him about and someone really positive," explained Mrs Currey.

"David Attenborough is everyone's favourite role model and he's just been a fantastic educator for so many decades. We couldn't think of anyone better."

Attenborough received a signed photo from the famous broadcaster

And it seems Sir David is pleased to have inspired the name.

The Blue Planet presenter welcomed Attenborough into the world by sending a signed photo with the words, 'Best wishes, from one Attenborough to another'.

"It made us smile at a very difficult time," said Mrs Currey.

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