Little girl, 4, suffers ‘horrendous’ and ‘life-changing’ burns in BBQ incident

A four-year-old girl has suffered “horrendous” and “life-changing” burns in an incident involving a barbecue. The youngster is continuing to receive treatment and her family have been “overwhelmed” by the love and kindness.

Tay Boddington, who lives with her mother Charlotte, father Alan and brother Enzo in Guilsborough, is currently undergoing a number of surgeries and being drip fed after being burnt all over on Sunday, 12 May. An online fundraising page was set up by a friend and colleague of Charlotte’s, Carly Chaplin – who also spoke to our sister title the Northampton Chronicle & Echo to share this heartbreaking incident.

“Tay was at her aunty and uncle’s house on 12 May for a family barbecue,” said Carly. “And she was with her uncle near the barbecue area while her mum and dad were in the kitchen preparing food.

“Her uncle went to light the barbecue and it went bang. They still don’t know why as that’s never happened before. Tay was within a distance where it got her and she was on fire. Charlotte described her as a ball of flames.

“Charlotte and her brother tried to put Tay out and they were hysterical at that moment in time. Her dad put her into a bathtub of running water before the air ambulance, fire engines and ambulances arrived.”

Tay was taken to Northampton General Hospital to be stabilised, before being transferred to Stoke Mandeville and Birmingham Children’s Hospital where she currently resides with Charlotte and Alan. Her uncle also suffered burns from the incident, though Carly does not believe they are as severe as his four-year-old niece’s injuries.

The family friend says people were posting to social media to ask why they heard a “loud bang and screaming” in the Moulton area – and this sad incident is the reason. Tay is currently receiving extensive burns treatment and medical support at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and has already undergone two surgeries and skin grafts. These will continue.

“Her hair, eyelashes and eyebrows were burnt,” said Carly, getting emotional. “They have shaved what’s left of her hair to use the skin from her scalp to skin graft.

“The nerve endings in her chest have been badly damaged. She was burnt from the bottom lip down to the ribs, including one arm and one leg.”

There is a week to go until Tay’s next surgery and more skin grafts, at which time the medical professionals will decide how to proceed. Carly added: “There’s not a release date as of yet. They’re taking it step by step and it’s too early to tell.

“There will be scarring for sure and it’s worse than they thought at first. Tay deteriorated quickly and it was when she was taken to theatre to clean the burns that they discovered the severity.”

Tay, Charlotte and Alan are currently separated from Enzo and even when the family do return home to Guilsborough, they will have to visit Birmingham every other day to get Tay’s bandages redressed for the foreseeable future. When asked just how much of a devastating impact this has had on the family and the wider Guilsborough community, Carly said: “We’re a tiny village and we’ve been so overwhelmed.

“It has cost the family £1,000 in travel, hotel, parking and food already. Charlotte and Alan do so much for the community and are still so selfless.” The parents have already said they want all the money raised, which currently stands at more than £6,500, to be donated to the burns unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Charlotte, who runs School House Day Care, already wants to host a charity event in the village to raise awareness of the dangers of fire and barbecues. Carly says they want to focus on “prevention rather than cure”, particularly with how many families will have barbecues in the summer months to come.

Talking about the response to the online fundraising page, Carly said: “Times are tough for so many but it’s so lovely to see the community come together in such a sad circumstance.” The page is now less than £3,500 away from its £10,000 target, and Carly hopes Charlotte and Alan will use some of it to cover the costs they have already had to pay out.

Having already insisted they want Birmingham Children’s Hospital to be the recipients, Carly said: “It just proves the kind of people they are. They are community-minded, kind people – they’re amazing and selfless.

“You couldn’t fathom if that was you. There’s a long road ahead for Tay but she has a lovely community and village of family, friends and teachers who love her very much.”

To make a donation to the online fundraising page in aid of four-year-old Tay Boddington, click here.