A GENEROUS duo are trying to raise money so that their colleague can take his disabled daughter on a special holiday.

Maxine Brown and Chris Smith want to help their friend and colleague, Garry Griffin, from Cirencester, take his daughter, 15-year-old Macy, on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise, along with his wife and her mum, Michelle.

Macy has Canavan disease, a rare disorder that damages the ability of nerve cells in the brain to send and receive messages.

When Macy was diagnosed with Canavan disease at eight months old she had a life expectancy of just three years. Now aged 15, Macy is the oldest person with the disease in the country.

As a result of the condition, Macy communicates through blinking and, due to the medical care and equipment she requires, it is very expensive for parents Michelle and Garry to take her abroad.

As Macy cannot fly, the family are looking to go on a cruise round the Canary Islands, replicating a trip they took many years ago.

Maxine and Chris, who work with Garry at roofing company BMI Redland in South Cerney, are now looking to raise the money to send the family on holiday.

Chris has worked with Garry, or Griff as he is known, for 10 years, and said he wanted to do something special for his friend.

“Macy is a very, very special person,” said Chris. “She’s very intelligent and very special. You immediately want to do something to try and help.

“We thought it would be nice to arrange a holiday for them where they can be a normal family and create some memories.”

Chris added: “Macy Griffin, you steal our hearts every day and for that we wish to make your family’s dream come true.

A target of £12,500 has been set, with £3,000 already raised. Fundraising events such as a charity football match are currently in the works.”

“People have been so generous and we have only just scratched the surface,” added Chris. “We’ll just try our damnedest and see what happens.”

Garry said he was amazed by the generosity of Chris and Maxine and the people who have donated so far.

“It’s escalated very quickly,” he said. “It wasn’t my idea at all. There are a lot of nice people out there.

“We haven’t been on a family holiday for a long time.”

To donate go to gofundme.com/f/fpfhy-making-memories