Mobilise - Promoting mobility for disabled people

Mobilise Trustee and seasoned skier Helen Robinson hit the red runs in the Italian Alps and found it exhilarating. She shares the thrills of disabled skiing.

In 1992 my husband and I received a surprise letter from the local disabled skiing club inviting us to go skiing in Austria.  We hadn’t even heard of the club and had not conceived of the idea that we would be able to ski.

Although I was interested, John didn’t fancy it.  I therefore informed John that he would staying at his parents’ house for a week while I tried this skiing lark out.  I had a fabulous time and have never looked back. Continue reading »

Three Mobilise members who have learnt to fly, thanks to the Flying Scholarships for the Disabled, tell Jenny McKibben about their experiences.

Ace fighter pilot Sir Douglas Bader inspired the nation when he overcame the loss of both legs following an aviation accident to return to the cockpit. The World War II legend blazed a trail for many with his determination and can-do attitude.

His legacy continues today thanks to the Flying Scholarships for the Disabled (FSD). Established in 1983 in memory of Sir Douglas, the FSD awards flying scholarships to people with disabilities. The aim is to give people the chance to realise their full potential through the thrill and challenge of learning to fly. In confronting the mental and physical challenges of learning to fly, FSD find that many people discover a new found confidence and freedom.

The scholarships vary each year, depending on the number of sponsors the FSD can secure and the suitability of the applicants. So far over 300 scholarships have been awarded. After a rigorous selection process at RAF Cranwell scholars are sent on courses of either 6 weeks in South Africa or one or four weeks at British flying schools  including  the Goodwood School of Flying and Lasham Airfield near Alton, where training is provided by the British Disabled Flying Association (BDSA). Continue reading »

Mobilise member Frank Napper tries out the extreme sport of kite-buggying and finds it fantastic fun!

When my wife and I visited Cornwall to do some research for our website, www.disabledholidayinfo.org.uk we visited several attractions including the very wheelchair friendly Eden Project and Falmouth Maritime Museum which was particularly accessible. However it was some unexpected kite-buggying with the Mobius Disability Kite School on Perranporth Beach that gave me my most memorable day.

Another younger researcher (I am 64!) was due to test the kite-buggying, but couldn’t make it so I had to be the guinea pig for the day. I was very nervous beforehand and was not looking forward to the experience. However once I had met the team of instructors who reassured me that I could do as little or as much as I felt safe with, I felt more confident.

The first thing I had to do was transfer, with their assistance, from my own wheelchair to a beach wheelchair. This is a chair with balloon like tyres that I needed to sit in, in order to get onto the sandy beach from the car park. This in itself was a novel experience, to be pushed across deep sand on to and across the wide beach area. Continue reading »

Jackie Weeden tells us about the scooter formation team that is putting the fun into fundraising!

The Red Wheelies Mobility Formation Team like many things came about by accident.   All the team members have  multiple sclerosis and ride mobility scooters and  wanted to race their scooters, after all even lawn-mowers are raced so why not scooters? After some initial trials and tribulations to be allowed to race they found a suitable venue.  It was while waiting to race that a couple of the girls started weaving in-and-out of each other and eureka the Red Wheelies were born.  A dressage choreographer designed the original  routine, a uniform was agreed on and as the scooters being used were all red the name Red Wheelies seemed just right. The Red Wheelies were born and took part in fun days raising money for local MS charities. Continue reading »

Eva McCracken tells Mobilise the inspiration behind her book, Walking on Wheels, a guide for wheelchair and electric scooter users who wish to access and enjoy the Scottish countryside.

When people ask me why did I write Walking on Wheels, I have a stock answer.  “Because it was needed”, I say.  There was a complete dearth of information on barrier free countryside paths accessible to those of us requiring wheels for our mobility. That, of course, is only part of the story but the more I think about “why” the more confused I get.

Was it in my nature?  Was it my upbringing?  Would it have happened had I lived a century ago? Perhaps I was just part of our early 21st century, “go-for-it” attitude and saw an opportunity?

What I know for sure was that Walking on Wheels was part of my journey through life living with MS. It would never have happened had I not become an ‘MSer’, dependent on an assortment of wheelchairs and scooters for the past 10 years.  I feel very fortunate in my nature and my nurture.  I’m an optimist by nature and a problem solver by education. Continue reading »

Having sailed solo across the English Channel and circumnavigated the Isle of Wight, Hilary Lister set her sights on an even bigger challenge – sailing round the British Isles. That’s no mean feat for any sailor but Hilary, 36, has the progressive neurological disorder Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) and the condition now is such that she is quadriplegic. Helen Smith caught up with Hilary before she set sail on her momentous journey

Has sailing always been something you’re been interested in?

No, not at all! I’d been stuck at home for three months and a friend of mine asked if I wanted to go sailing. It seemed like a good idea at the time and so I went. It turned out to be a life-changing moment. I found out something I wanted to do and I felt like me again. Continue reading »

In this article from 2008, Sally Roe reported on the disabled motorists competing in the first UK karting championship using hand controls.

The Disabled Karting Championship team

Recently Helen and I were invited by Mobilise member Kumar Moorthy to attend the ‘Disabled Karting Championship’ at Cannon Raceway in Birmingham, to have a go on the adapted karts and to meet some of the drivers and organisers working to make this fantastic sport accessible to all.

Kumar is the brains behind the Disabled Karting Championship, and in 2006 he persuaded Keith Jauncy, the owner of Cannon Raceway, to pay for ten of his karts to be converted into hand controls. Since karts have no gears, the controls consist of a fairly rugged push-pull accelerator / brake lever, which leaves the other hand free to steer the kart. Continue reading »

It’s fun, it’s healthy, and it’s growing fast in popularity – fishing is a great way to enjoy Britain’s beautiful waters.  Marta Bartosiewicz joins two disabled anglers during a carp fishing match in Norfolk to find out more about angling and accessibility.

David Goose and Mike Ridealgh are passionate about fishing. Members of the Norwich Disabled Anglers Club, for which David is Secretary and Treasurer, they are both wheelchair users who enjoy a spot of competitive angling. They were more than happy to be bombarded with questions on accessible angling and suggested we meet at Barford Lakes, a fishery based in a secluded and picturesque part of Norfolk. In fact Barford Lakes was so secluded that I had some trouble finding it! I felt I was about to discover angling’s best kept secret. Continue reading »

As the weather finally begins to warm up, Jim Rawlings’ thoughts turn to the most summery of sports; cricket! He finds out about the opportunities for disabled people to participate in this increasingly accessible sport.

When someone mentions cricket, do your thoughts turn to balmy sunny days lazing in a deck chair with a glass of Pimms in your hand? Do you imagine dozing to the sound of buzzing bees and genteel ripples of applause, interrupted only by the crack of leather on willow or a shout of “Howzat!”

Or are you the type to view a match from the comfort of your sofa or shouting at the radio in response to a view expressed by Geoffrey Boycott on just how a shot should be played? Cricket means many things to many people; the ideals of fair play and courage enshrined in the classic poem Vitai Lampada by Henry Newbolt:

“There’s a breathless hush in the Close to-night

Ten to make and the match to win

A bumping pitch and a blinding light,

An hour to play, and the last man in.” Continue reading »