Shielding Preston mum 'missing the chaos of family life'

Christine Singleton is a full-time carer for James, who is 17 and profoundly disabled

A mother who has been self-isolating with her disabled son since March away from the rest of her family says she is missing the "chaos" of family life.

Christine Singleton from Preston is a full-time carer for James, who is 17 and profoundly disabled.

When Boris Johnson announced the first lockdown, her husband and two daughters moved out to protect James.

"It's incredibly difficult," Mrs Singleton said. "But we've got to keep each other as safe as possible."

James is immunocompromised with respiratory disease, renal issues "and basically everything on the shielding list", she said.

Mrs Singleton chose to shield in the family home with a care team, while husband Fergus and the girls, who are 16 and 12, are together with relatives nearby.

"The girls are used to us being away to some extent because we are in the hospital regularly, but this is different," she said.

"When we are in the hospital they come and spend the day and we would go to a cafe for lunch, but they couldn't do that over the summer.

"They are incredibly strong young ladies. They miss James and he has missed them an awful lot.

"He misses the chaos his sisters bring, it gives him something else to think about and he enjoys watching them.

"I miss them very much, it's incredibly difficult, they drive you mad, but not having the racket they make, it's just too quiet."

Mrs Singleton chose to shield in the family home with a care team

The family video chat every night "but it's a struggle as there's no-one to talk to in the evening, it's very lonely" and James' mood "just drops" when they hang up.

They did manage to have two weeks together in June after 84 days apart, after Mr Singleton and the girls self-isolated for two weeks, but they went back when school reopened.

"The infection rate was rising and we just couldn't take the risk," Mrs Singleton said.

"Coronavirus is going to finish when it does, but as long as everyone is safe and we've done our bit and done the right thing, we will be very proud."