Member Article

Beach fun for North East's disabled children

A specially designed beach wheelchair with pneumatic wheels allowing children with disabilities to access the sea and beach has been made available by North East children’s charity, Chin Up, at their Seahouses based respite home. The GoodFund, in association with the Post Code Lottery, awarded the charity with £5,220, part of which was used to purchase and import the wheelchair from America. Arriving just in time for summer, the wheelchair has already been tested out by 13-year-old Edward Common from Hexham. Edward suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - a hereditary degenerative disease of skeletal (voluntary) muscles.

Maureen Hardcastle, Chin Up Chair, comments: “The beach wheelchair will be an invaluable part of our holiday home experience, particularly in the summer. Many ill or disabled children will have never experienced the beach owing to access difficulties and conventional wheelchair design. “This is especially important when they have more able siblings as they will be able to join in with the whole family. Helping families to enjoy precious time together is what Chin-Up is all about.”

“We’ve also approached the National Trust to request disabled access close to beach near our respite centre. Not only for the children in our care but also for the disabled community throughout the region.”

The remainder of the funding from the GoodFund has been used to install a hoist in a specially adapted downstairs bedroom of Jonathan’s House – the charity’s respite home – and to purchase a two-storey Wendy House and furniture for the garden at the house.

For more information about Chin Up and their future projects, visit www.chin-up-charity.org.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .