A CHARITY football match has been organised to support a seven-year-old Barrhead boy who has cerebral palsy.

The family of little Jamie McMaster is looking to raise £4,000 to pay for a unique buggy which they say will greatly improve his quality of life.

Jamie suffered a stroke while his mother Linda Lee Mcgaughey was 19 weeks pregnant.

It subsequently caused him to develop both cerebral palsy and schizencephaly – a rare developmental birth defect characterised by abnormal slits in the brain's cerebral hemispheres.

The youngster's uncle Thomas Mcgaughey and Linda's cousin David McGonigle have arranged for friends and relatives to take to the pitch at Arthurlie FC's Dunterlie Park to help fund the buggy for the Isobel Mair School pupil.

Linda, 27, and her partner Jamie McMaster snr, 28, are thankful to have such supportive a family but news of the charity match did not come as a shock.

The game is now being held for the second year in a row after relatives came together in 2015 to help the family fund a new downstairs bedroom for Jamie at their home in Balgray Crescent.

"It's no great surprise to me," Linda said.

"Last year David and my brother Thomas helped to fundraise so we could get an extension for Jamie. Us as a family thank everybody who continues to help.

"We just can't thank them all enough for their ongoing support. I always try to explain how much of a difference the fundraising will make to our lives but there are no words.

"We nearly lost Jamie three times last year. He had a subdural haematoma in January last year which is a bleed in his brain and, because he has a shunt, it was continuing to block every couple of weeks so he had umpteen surgeries. We had a hell of a time.

"Jamie himself, regardless of all his problems, he's the most comical little character you'll meet. He just takes everything in his stride. We're hoping to fundraise to get a buggy that will cover everything for him.

"We get a buggy from WestMARC and you're totally restricted to what you can do with it. You can't get him comfortable in it, it's a buggy for his positioning.

"It's such a struggle to get from A to B in it. Jamie's visually impaired and you don't get sun canopies for it so it's not doable for us."

Linda is full of admiration for her wee boy who, though he is mute and unable to walk, still manages to communicate with others and make them laugh.

And while the circumstances can be difficult to deal with at times, Linda feels blessed to be a mum to such a joyful and inspiring child.

She said: "He's a very popular little boy and people will always stop people on the street and I don't even know who they are. More people stop to speak him than they do me.

"In school he gets nothing but good reports. He's non-vocal and he can't walk or talk and that'll never change but you ask him questions and he'll answer us as a family in a way that we can understand.

"It can be challenging but it's more emotionally challenging when you're seeing your child sick and you can't help him. That's the toughest thing but it's also very rewarding the fact that we see Jamie coming on as a child, how happy he is.

"He's our world and we would never ever change him."

The Jamie's Journey charity match will kick off at 1.30pm on September 4 at Dunterlie Park and is set to feature a handful of former 'Lie players.

It will be followed by a raffle and karaoke night in Rumours Bar and, while entry is free, organisers would appreciate any donations no matter how big or small.

To stay up-to-date with Jamie's situation, and for more information about the game, search 'Jamie's Journey' on Facebook.