WHAT THE DUCK? Family awake to find their cat has dragged a live DUCK through the catflap
Image by: Marcus Elliott-Square
This video captures the moment a family awoke to discover their cat had dragged a live DUCK onto the landing - and had to shoo the startled animal out the window.
Two-year-old Slippers managed to pull the bird through the cat flap of the family home in Carshalton, South London, and drag it up the stairs.
Dad Marcus Elliot-Square, 47, was downstairs getting ready for work at 6.30am when his startled wife Claire phoned him from the landing.
At first it appears the duck is dead - but it suddenly bursts into life and flaps into the bedroom as Claire shrieks in panic.
Marcus, an operations director, then calmly opens the window and the lucky duck hops out to freedom.
Image by: Marcus Elliott-Square
Image by: Marcus Elliott-Square
Image by: Marcus Elliott-Square
He said: "I was downstairs early doors getting ready for another work day whilst in isolation.
"I received a phone call from my wife who was upstairs saying that she thought our cat Slippers had caught a duck.
"Now, Slippers has got previous for pigeon rustling and catches on average a mouse every two days.
"So, in light of this I picked up my phone thinking that if this was indeed the case, I needed evidence.
"I still thought it was a wind up as I started up the stairs. The rest is history."
Marcus' daughters Charlotte, 12, and Georgina, 10, were in their beds at the time and were woken by the drama.
He hopes the video - shot on Thursday March 26 - will bring some light relief during the coronavirus crisis.
Marcus added: "I'd like to donate some of the proceeds (after slippers has been treated to something more appropriate) to charity to support the Emergency Workers who are doing so much for us and need a bit of cheering up."
Video by: Marcus Elliott-Square
Meet the mum who became so fed-up with her messy teens she forced them to sign a 'cleaning contract' and fines them £5 for every rule broken
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
Meet the mum who became so fed-up with her messy teens she forced them to sign a 'cleaning contract' - and fines them £5 for every rule broken.
Frustrated Katrina Neathey, 36, fines her kids for failing to make their bed, drinking fizzy drinks in their room or leaving litter on their bedroom floor.
She had spent the last two decades cleaning up after her kids - and is a cleaner by trade.
But the mum-of-three got to the end of her tether when she found mud on her new £1,200 carpet, within a few weeks of a complete upstairs refurb.
She called kids Hayden, 19, Joshua, 18, and Olivia, 13, to the dining table and presented them with tailor made ten-point contacts to sign.
The eldest pair agreed they will get fined £5 per rule break - while Olivia has her phone taken away for a day per infringement.
The mum from Horsham, West Sussex, said her "harsh but fair" parenting has whipped the kids into shape - and she has only pocketed £20.
Katrina, who runs a cleaning business with her twin sister Natalie, said: "My kids are all teenagers so in my eyes they are all capable of keeping to simple rules.
"I tried to set up some basic ground rules after we did up the bedrooms but after a few days they were falling back into old habits.
"They'd hide dirty clothes or plates at the back of their wardrobe when I told them to tidy up. It's as if they forget I'm a cleaner. I know exactly where to find things.
"I know the boys are only on apprenticeships and don't earn that much so they'll notice when £5 has gone out their pocket.
"We had a talk during the family meeting and I knew something needed to be done.
"When I first mentioned it to them they just thought it was hilarious.
"But I thought the only way they will listen is if I fine the older boys with money as they work and for Olivia to lose her phone."
Katrina and husband Gareth, 41, carpenter, completed a massive £4,000 refurb on their 4 bed semi-detached home in Horsham.
All the bedrooms were redecorated and got new furniture, and Katrina told the kids it was time to step up and clean up their act.
But she said within a few days they fell into old habits, so she introduced the new rules at the start of the year.
The were given contracts demanding they put all plates in the dishwasher, only drink water in their bedrooms and put dirty washing in the laundry basket.
She said she has looked after them all their lives and it is time for them to give back.
"It might sound heavy but I just think it's time they learn the hard way," said Katrina, who runs Instagram page with her twin sister Twinklecleaningduo.
"When they started school they were really good because I encouraged them to put all their toys away in their rooms.
"They never ate upstairs because I was controlling that as the adult.
"It was when I started the business and begun working longer hours that things started to creep in.
"They started getting into football and dance so all of us were rushing in and out of the door.
"As they grew older and technology and phones came into play, they would just prioritising chatting to their mates than helping out with the housework.
"Plus I started doing it for them.
"Countless time I've told them I wasn't their slave but that was always short lived and they would hide things instead.
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
"The worst was when I found a used chopping board in the wardrobe.
"I've also found other things like forks, bowls and milk bottles left to go off, all tucked away somewhere in the hope I wouldn't find it.
"Pizza boxes were great as they kindly left the crumbs for me to follow them.
"To be honest the only one benefiting from their hidden gem was the dog."
She said Josh, a carpenter apprentice, has had three fines so far - all in one day for two food wrappers hidden in a shoebox and down the side of his bed, and clothes thrown into his wardrobe.
"Olivia has only lost her phone once after I found a wrapper in her room," she added.
"She still got to take it to school for safety reasons so I just banned it for two evenings in a row."
Hayden, plumber apprentice, got a fine for not making his bed.
"Again I think he was testing his luck because I was going to London for the day which means I'm usually back really late but on this occasion I actually got home before him!" she said.
"Gareth and I work hard to give them the best we can be as parents and sometimes it can become easy for them to take advantage of our generosity.
"Part of growing up is learning to respect property and those you look after you. And I think the contract will help do that.
"I've spent years cleaning up after them.
"Since I've introduced them it's been great.
"I'm really pleased with how it's going and it's making my life so much easier.
"I don't have to nag either which is great for everyone.
"I'm not looking for perfect bed making and things like that.
"It's just knowing that they are trying and for me to see evidence that they have respect for their rooms, new furniture and me."
Olivia's contract
- No make-up in bedroom
- No eating in bedroom
- No juice or fizzy drink in bedroom - only water
- Make bed everyday
- All clothes must be hung up or put away
- Put dirty washing in wash basket
- Keep room tidy
- Put your washing up from downstairs in the dishwasher (empty if full)
- Put shoes/trainers away
- Put bag away
Failure to follow this contract will result in your phone being taken away...for days!
Josh and Hayden 's contract (two separate but identical)
- No eating in bedroom
- No juice or fizzy drink in bedroom - only water
- Make bed
- All clothes must be hung up or put away
- Put dirty washing in wash basket
- Keep room tidy
- Put your washing up from downstairs in the dishwasher (empty if full)
- Put shows/trainers away
- Put bag away
Katrina and Natalie's business can be followed on Instagram at @twinklecleaningduo.
Video by: Ashley Moran
Man in inflatable Zorb ball struggles to get to his feet for ten minutes after knockdown
Image by: Video Contributor
This is the hilarious moment a man was knocked to the floor and left unable to get up after he got trapped inside his inflatable zorb.
Onlookers captured the moment the man - said to be in his 20s - got stuck inside the blow-up ball, with his arms squished above his head.
He was barged to the floor and left unable to get up after he struggled to get to his feet, at Heatherton World of Activities, Pembrokeshire, in Wales.
Later the man can be seen re-positioning his legs in a bid to hoist himself back up.
A member of staff attempts to help the man by pulling up the Zorbing ball - but again fails miserably.
Moments later a member of the public races in to help tug on the inflatable ball and help the man up.
But as soon as he is helped back on his feet by the two men, he is barged into again and finds himself back on the floor.
An eyewitness said: "We were just in the queue and saw this guy who kept falling over.
"Because of his size he was unable to get his leg in the position to get himself back up.
"This happened for a good ten minutes.
"When he has his arms in the air he looked like a giraffe.
"It was just really funny."
Video by: Video Contributor 3982
Shocking pictures show 150-year-old church tower collapsed shortly before Sunday service
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
Shocking pictures show the scale of devastation after a 150-year-old church was reduced to rubble when it suddenly collapsed on Sunday morning (19/1).
Emergency services were called to St John the Baptist Church in High Toynton, Lincs.,
after a historic tower, built in 1872, came down without warning.
Sniffer dogs were brought in by the fire service to search the rubble for bodies - but fortunately nobody was reported injured.
The Grade II-listed church would usually have been packed with parishioners but there was not a service on Sunday.
The remains of the church have been cordoned off by police while an online fundraiser has been set up to help raise £100,000 towards the cost of the repairs.
A structural engineer was inspecting the site this morning (Mon) with the Reverend Charles Patrick.
He said: "It’s obviously a great shock to see the devastation and a great gaping hole.
"The fire service did a thorough job and brought in dogs just to ensure nobody was found."
Horncastle Police tweeted: “We have been supporting the community of High Toynton with Horncastle firefighters after the collapse of the church tower.
“No injuries to report thankfully and we will be supporting the community with regular 24 hours checks of the site.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire, Marc Jones, also tweeted: “What a terrible shock for the whole community.
“Glad that everyone is safe but what a sad sight to see.”
Image by: Steve Chatterley
Image by: Steve Chatterley
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
There has been a parish church at the site since the 13th century and the current building was constructed using mainly greenstone in 1872 by Ewan Christian.
The architect, who also restored Southwell Minster and Carlisle Cathedral, reused 12th-century fragments and Norman stone from the previous church erected in 1779.
High Toynton is known as a "doubly thankful" village - it is one of only 14 in the UK where all the men came back from both World Wars.
Included in the church is a bank of Living Memories, which includes a resident’s diary of 1939 to 1941.
Group administrator of Horncastle churches Debbie Knight said: “The Reverend is there this morning with the structural engineer.
“There was not a service yesterday and we believe the collapse happened in the morning.”
A JustGiving page has been set up by Robert Tomkinson, a villager who got married in the church, to raise money to rebuild the church tower.
Robert said: “On Sunday, January 19, the tower of St John the Baptist church in High Toynton collapsed, taking down almost 150 years of history.
"Thankfully no one was hurt.
“The rest of the building is still standing - but the challenge of rebuilding starts now and the village will need all the help it can get!
“We don’t know how much we will need at this stage but the final figure will no doubt be very high - all money raised here will go to the High Toynton Village Fund.
“The church is the heart of village life (and the only community building left after the bus stop!). It hosts church services and music nights throughout the year.
“If you have any connection to High Toynton - we need your help.
“There is so much history behind this wonderful building.
"There has been a church on this site since the 13th century and High Toynton is one of only 14 villages in the UK to be ‘doubly thankful’ - with everyone who fought in both World Wars returning home.
“This fundraising target will be updated once the full costs of rebuilding are known - but any money you can give will help.”
A Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: "Crews from Horncastle, Spilsby and Woodhall Spa went out to St John the Baptist's church following a call to Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue at 12.42pm.
"They used thermal imaging cameras to search for possible trapped people.
"Our Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and search dog from Sleaford then attended and carried out a full search, and no people were found. Crews left about 3.30pm."
Video by: Ashley Moran
Incredible video shows super rare volcanic lightning caused by the eruption of volcano in the Philippines
Image by: Karima Dhalani
This is the moment a killer volcano caused ultra rare volcanic lightning to fork across the sky in the Philippines.
More than 8,000 people were ordered to leave their homes last night (Sunday) after Taal volcano started to spew giant ash clouds, accompanied by rumbling and tremors.
The volcano has erupted more than 30 times over past 300 years, killing 6,000 people, and started become volatile again this weekend.
A 17-year-old local resident, whose family decided to stay in their home, shot this video from his balcony in Tagaytay city on Sunday.
It shows rare volcanic lightening - a long debated phenomenon which typically occurs at the start of an eruption.
Image by: Karima Dhalani
Image by: Karima Dhalani
He said: "It was around 6pm and me and my family just arrived home.
"We had a plan to leave but we decided to just return home.
"When we arrived I went to balcony to get a better view.
"I wanted to take a photo but instead took a video and that’s when the thunder struck."
The exact cause of volcanic lightning has been long has been debated.
Volcanic lightning is an electrical discharge caused by a volcanic eruption, rather than from an ordinary thunderstorm.
It is thought to be caused by colliding ash - and sometimes ice - which generating static energy in the volcanic plume, when the particles rub together.
Taal is the Philippines' second most active volcano and situated on an island in the middle of a lake.
Video by: Gabriella Petty
A fitness fanatic who nearly died in a horror car crash has found love with the woman he was meant to go on a date with on the day he lost his limbs
Image by: Craig Towler
A fitness fanatic who nearly died in a horror car crash has found love with the woman he was meant to go on a date with - on the day he lost his limbs.
Craig Towler, 32, of Boulder, Colorado, was grabbing a cooler out of his trunk on the Fourth of July in 2016.
A car veered into a parked car, trapping him between the two vehicles and crushing both of his legs irreparably.
In the hospital, while doctors discussed his double amputations, Craig asked a friend to let his new love interest Amanda, 30, know that he wouldn’t be able to make the date they had planned for that evening.
The pair had only been seeing each other for three weeks, but Amanda rushed to Craig’s bedside and, three-and-a-half-years later they are still together.
He said: ''I looked down and I saw both my legs were disconnected,” he said. ''They were pretty much broken off with just skin holding the ligaments together.”
Craig, an events coordinator, added: “I honestly didn’t know what to expect but she was there immediately, no questions asked and I knew she would be the one for me.”
In the following months he endured nine surgeries and intensive physical therapy.
“Amanda was with me more days than not,” he said.
Eight months after his release from the hospital the couple moved in together.
Craig said: “Amanda was a big part of everything. We are extremely happy.”
As devastating as Craig’s incident was, he believes it brought him closer to Amanda.
He said: “It 100 percent helped to have a partner there in such a hard time…with so many emotions going on.
“It shows a lot about that person, to be so comforting for someone who is in that much distress.
“In that short period of time I quickly learned how selfless and kind she is, especially considering the shape I was in.”
Remembering the day of the accident is still traumatic for Craig.
He said: ”I was bleeding out so badly from the impact of the car bumper The impact was extremely concentrated on my legs.
"They were crushed and they were hanging there, but not fully gone.
"I didn't realize at the time what had happened, but I knew something had happened that was major.
"Some people came by and helped lay me flat on the ground."
Image by: Craig Towler
Image by: Craig Towler
Image by: Craig Towler
Image by: Craig Towler
Shockingly, Craig was still conscious and was able to speak.
"I instructed them how to tie tourniquets around my legs with belts or whatever they had to stop the bleeding,” he said.
Craig’s injuries were so severe that he had to be airlifted in a helicopter to the trauma center at Denver Health Medical Center.
"I was conscious the entire time and I remember everything until being sedated for the surgeries,” he said.
"I still have those memories and sometimes things trigger them.
Doctors told Craig that if they did not amputate his legs from the knee down, he would bleed to death.
“It was either life or limb,” Craig said.
“I was bleeding out so badly that I could have died.
"I remember telling the doctor: ‘You know what, just do what you have to do.’"
His right leg was amputated at the knee and his left leg was amputated below the knee.
But Craig was determined that he would not let the tragic accident dominate his life.
"When I was in ICU I made a very conscious decision,” he said.
"I was talking to my mom and I said I need to accept what had happened and that it was real.
“Only once I had that acceptance could I move forward.
"Though my path was a different one and a lot more challenging, I was still alive, and I decided to live."
Craig spent his 29th birthday, on July 20 2016, getting 87 staples removed from his legs.
In September 2016, just a little over a month after being released from the hospital, he went back to work.
Before he lost his legs, Craig was a sports enthusiast and regularly took part in 10k runs.
He and Amanda first met at their local gym, where she worked as a fitness trainer.
“It took a while for me to get the guts to talk to her. I actually would schedule my workouts around the time when she was working,” he admitted.
“I would say ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ and finally I walked up to her. It was a slow process for me.
“I’m really happy that I finally did it.”
Before his horrific injuries Craig aimed to participate in BOLDERBoulder, a popular race that takes place every Memorial Day in Colorado.
Just ten months after his amputation, he completed the race in his wheelchair.
He has now participated in the race three times. He also kayaks, skis, hand-cycles and rope climbs, as well as working-out regularly in the gym.
He said: ”What has happened is now part of me, but I don't lose sight of what I was before and I've found a happy balance.”
Craig has since founded Amputee Concierge, a program offering people who have lost limbs advice, support and information on life as amputees. More information can be found at www.amputeeconcierge.org.
As for his relationship with Amanda, Craig said: “I definitely see a future. As with everything else, we take things day by day.”
Video by: Gabriella Petty
Lorry-mad four-year-old boy gets ultimate toy when his uncle builds huge remote controlled truck - he can actually ride in
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
A truck-mad four-year-old has been given the ultimate boys toy after his uncle built him a remote controlled LORRY he can ride around in.
Darren Buckler, 40, spent 12 hours over two days constructing the £600 replica of a Mercedes Actros HGV in his garage at home for nephew Hugene (corr).
The self-employed landscaper decided to build the vehicle as a Christmas present after Hugene spent five weeks in hospital with kidney disease in December.
The 24-volt battery-powered four-wheel drive lorry has a plank aluminium body and flashing safety lights and is big enough for a child to sit in and drive.
Darren says Hugene loves nothing more than travelling around his local park in the impressive toy, which has a top speed of 5mph and a battery life of over an hour.
He is now hoping to quit his job to make the models full-time after being inundated with orders when he posted a photo of the present on Facebook.
Former trucker Darren has so far made over £10,000 in less than a month selling ten lorries at £690 each and raffling five off at £15 a ticket.
The dad-of-three says there is currently a two-week waiting time on the trucks, which are 2ft wide, 4.5ft long and 4ft tall and are available in red, black, blue or white.
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS
Darren, who lives with partner Leanne Bradford, 37, in Walsall, West Mids., said: “Trucks have always been my hobby.
“I used to be a lorry driver. I have driven them for the last 20 years.
“I saw one of these toy lorries and thought ‘I could make a more realistic one of them' so I gave it a go for Hugene, who is my brother-in-laws son.
“It was to cheer him up really as he had just come out of Birmingham Children's Hospital with kidney disease, which is going to require further operations.
“We live in the same street and there’s a green area called the snicket where he can drive it. He absolutely loves it.
"I thought it would be a one-off but then I posted some photos of it on Facebook and I was inundated with requests for them. Its like the whole country wants one.
"I might pack my full time job in and try to set up myself as a business but at the moment I’m enjoying my hobby.
"I don't make much profit from them as they cost about £600 to build but I'm hoping to reduce the cost if I can buy the materials in bulk.
"I'm also going to raffle some off for charity as well, its not really about the money for me at the moment, I'm just enjoying making them for now.
“Everyone is interested in trucks round here so I've had a few orders locally as well as family and friends.
"But there are a lot of orders on Facebook. I can make them for kids to match their dad’s truck. I can’t build them quick enough at the moment."
Video by: Gabriella Petty
Ten-year-old boy dubbed 'human snake' because he suffers from rare skin condition - that causes him to SHED his skin every six weeks
Image by: Dinesh Dubey
These shocking photos show a ten-year-old boy who has been dubbed the 'human snake' - because a rare skin condition causes him to SHED his skin every month.
The youngster, known only as Jagannath, suffers from rare genetic skin condition lamellar ichthyosis, which causes the skin to grow too fast, dry out, and shed.
Jagannath's case is so severe that his skin sheds every four to six weeks.
He is forced to bathe every hour and smear himself with moisturiser every three hours to try to relieve the symptoms.
Shocking photos of the young boy, from the Ganjam district of eastern India, show his skin completely dried out and flaky, stretched over his body like scales.
His skin has become so tight that he is often left unable to walk properly, and needs a stick to help him stretch out his limbs.
Image by: Dinesh Dubey
Image by: Dinesh Dubey
Image by: Dinesh Dubey
Sadly, there is no cure for Jagannath's condition - and his father, Prabhakar Pradhan, who works as a labourer in a paddy field, can not afford the cost of his son's treatment.
He said: "My son has suffered this disease since childhood, and there is no cure for it.
"I do not have enough money to take him for a treatment and my heart breaks seeing him suffer with this cursed disease every day."
A dermatologist in the Indian district, who did not wish to be identified, said: "This disease is not treatable, although some doctors say there is a cure."
Dr Rakhesh, senior consultant dermatologist at Aster MIMS hospital in Kerala, India, said lamellar ichthyosis is one of the rarest congenital skin conditions.
There is currently no cure, but the condition can be treated with creams and some medications to prevent complications and improve quality of life.
Video by: Gabriella Petty
Adorable five-year-old girl with cerebral palsy beamed from ear to ear after making her first independent journey to the car - thanks to her own little staircase
Image by: Leila Jackson
An adorable five-year-old girl with cerebral palsy beamed from ear to ear after she climbed into the car unaided for the first time - thanks to her own little set of steps.
Little Lilac Jackson has spastic diplegia cerebral palsy and used to rely on walking aids to move about and had to be carried into her car seat by her mum Leila.
But Lilac amazed her family and friends when she walked into class on her first day at primary school without any help following a major operation last year.
She has now mastered another 'first' when she hoisted herself into her car seat all by herself, after her mum bought her a tiny set of stairs.
Mum-of-three Leila, 37, was "heartbroken" when Lilac actually apologised when her mum hurt her back lifted her into the car seat during the school run last week.
But they were both all smiles as Lilac left the house in Cheltenham, Glos., walked down the pavement and clambered into the car.
Leila, who also has daughter Lulu, 13, and three-year-old Leo, said: "Last week my back decided it couldn’t take much more of the constant lifting Lilac in and out of the car.
"She is a tall five-year-old and getting heavier and heavier. She actually turned to me last week and said 'I'm sorry mummy' which just broke my heart.
"So for the sake of her dignity we had to come up with a solution. I asked other parents who have disabled children and they came up with ingenious ways to make life that little bit easier.
"That's where the idea of caravan steps came into play. Any parent of a special needs kid will agree when I say all the equipment cost the earth.
"So to have a little staircase which cost £19.99 has been an absolute game changer.
"When she sits down in her seat the smile on her face says it all. She's just absolutely delighted. She went into school and was telling the teacher and members of staff of her voyage.
Image by: Leila Jackson
Image by: Leila Jackson
Image by: Leila Jackson
Image by: Leila Jackson
"It gave her such a boost she even turned the classroom door handle by herself.
"I know it's something that anyone else wouldn't think twice about but to her it takes so much strength and it's such a mark of independence.
"It was just an absolute joy to see it happen."
The heartwarming video was shot on Monday (27).
Lilac was born in Princess Royal Hospital in Bromley, south east London, in October 2014.
Leila's waters had broken at 29 weeks, but it was not until the 34th week she was induced.
Within 24 hours of her birth, Lilac was blue-lighted across the city to King's College Hospital, where she was kept on life support for five days.
Her parents raised more than £100,000 to fund an operation to help her walk, and she was filmed last year walking into school unaided on her first day of reception in September.
Leila said: "I think the next goal will be for her to get up from the floor by herself. It takes a lot of strength for her to do that.
"If she keeps progressing in the way that she is, we're hoping that there'll be no need for sticks, and they can sit in the garage and gather dust."
Video by: Leila Jackson
Mum of a girl with "purple" birthmarks bravely admitted she hid her from strangers for SIX weeks after she was born - and even used filters in photos she posted online
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
The mum of a girl with "purple" birthmarks bravely admitted she hid her from strangers for SIX weeks after she was born - and even used filters in photos she posted online.
Sara Farrow, 27, was scared of people seeing her newborn daughter Lacey-Dee Barrett in public because of the port-wine stain birthmark covering 90% of her body.
It was caused by the abnormal development of her blood vessels during pregnancy and protective Sara was scared people would single out her daughter.
So for the first six weeks of her life, single mum Sara covered her daughter’s bright-coloured skin and hid her away from strangers.
And when she posted photos of Lacey-Dee on Instagram, Sara said she used filters to mask the true colour of her daughter's skin.
She only changed her ways when she became worried Lacey-Dee would look back on her baby photos when she is older and asked her mum if she was embarrassed.
But even when she finally plucked up the courage, Sara claims strangers told her daughter looks “diseased” and “contagious”.
Sara, from Lincoln, said: “Until she was six weeks old I covered her up whenever we went out in public.
“As her mum obviously I am not bothered about her appearance but I was scared about what other people would think.
“When she was first born she was very red and looked bruised. I’ve had people say lots of things when we are out.
"I was scared of what people would think of me as a mum. People have said she looks diseased and have asked what’s wrong with her face.
“One person asked ‘is she allergic to the washing powder I use’ and people think there is something really wrong with her.
“She is completely unique and it’s just how she is.
“It makes her who she is and for me now it would be strange to see her without the birthmarks.
“I think she is beautiful and love how she looks”
Lacey-Dee was born at Lincoln County Hospital in April and Sara said she realised something was different straight away.
She had darker patches on her chest and doctors thought she may have been bruised.
Within hours, the birthmark appeared in full on the surface of Lacey-Dee’s skin and Sara said initially it was “hard to come to terms with”.
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
Image by: Sara Farrow
Image by: Sara Farrow
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
Former retail worker Sara said: “It was only on her chest at first and we thought it might be bruising.
“But after a couple of hours her whole body turned purple and blue.
“It was a real shock to be honest and I was really worried because doctors weren’t sure what was wrong."
She was referred to specialists and diagnosed with port wine stains in October.
Only three in every 1,000 babies are born with the condition which occurs during pregnancy, and usually only appear on one limb or area of the body.
Sara said she covered up as much of her daughter’s skin with baby blankets, long sleeved clothing or hiding her away in her buggy.
“I just thought ‘oh god’ and it was hard for me to come to terms with," she said.
“I was most worried about her face and I’m scared for her future.
"But it got to the point where I didn't want her to look back on baby photos and see I wasn't confident enough or I was embarrassed.
"I had to get brave for her sake as much as mine. I had to come to terms with it.
“I’m worried for when she goes to school. I don’t want her to be called names or to be bullied."
It comes with no other side effects and Sara said Lacey-Dee is a “very happy” baby.
But she said when she is out and about she faces having to explain her daughter's discoloration.
Sara said: “We went to the GP and a receptionist there said she should be kept in another room away from children playing in the waiting room in case she’s contagious.
“It makes me feel bad but regardless of the birthmark, it doesn’t change who she is.
“We have seen so many dermatologists and they all said this is the most extensive case of Port Wine Stains they have seen.”
Lacey-Dee will meet with specialists next month to see if she is eligible for colour-corrective treatment.
Video by: Gabriella Petty
