Hi guys, I hope you are all well!

I have set up this GoFundMe page because I need help fundraising toward a new wheelchair that will continue to meet my needs. My current chair is breaking down more frequently and could soon become financially unsustainable to repair.

It absolutely cringes me out to do this, and I have been putting it off for over 12 months while trying to explore other options. In an ideal world, I would go solely through charitable funding—which I still intend to explore and utilise. Sadly, the charity that was the sole funder of my current wheelchair has discontinued, and there is a limited pool of charities that accommodate disabled adults. Those that do often require you to have raised some of your own money first to increase the chances of a successful bid.

This page will serve as a landing page for any fundraising donations, challenges, or ideas that people want to support. Please note that the charity football match in May will be kept separate, as it involves multiple causes. Any money raised for that event will be split three ways between Pendleside Hospice, the North West Ambulance Charity, and my wheelchair fund. That page will be managed by my friend Lee, and more information will be released shortly.

Below is the backstory on why an off-road wheelchair is so vital to my life, as well as details on the new chair I am aiming for: the Freedom One Life. It costs £25,000—which I recognise is a hell of a lot of money—but through this page, charitable grants, and my own contributions, hopefully we can get there!

My Story

My name is Joe Skinner. I am a 26-year-old wheelchair user with Cerebral Palsy who aims to live life to the full with my family and friends. While I like to think I have a positive mindset, this hasn't always been the case. My teenage years and early adulthood were a time of inner turbulence due to a lack of understanding of how to manage my feelings, and a lack of understanding from others on how to include me due to accessibility issues.

Realising I needed to stop letting my situation define me, I took action at 18. I implemented structure and routine into my life, centred around daily exercise and goal setting. One of those goals was to be more active outdoors, as I found it calming.

This, coupled with finding new friends and a broadening of people’s horizons, meant I had more opportunities to get involved in social activities. However, challenges remained due to the limited capabilities of my NHS wheelchair. That changed in January 2023 when I acquired an off-road wheelchair called the Frontier V6.

Why the Freedom One Life?

The Frontier V6 changed my life. It allowed me and my family to spend time together doing the things we love: accessing the great outdoors, going to the beach, travelling, and attending music events. It also transformed my work life; having worked in disability sport and inclusion for eight years, my job requires me to be on the go outside.

However, as mentioned, this chair is slowly failing. For example, replacing a controller if it gets wet costs between £750 and £1,200. This means I often have to wear a waterproof glove over my hand and therefore struggle to use my phone should anything happen.

The Freedom One Life was designed by someone with Cerebral Palsy specifically to counteract these issues. It is a robust, high-performance chair featuring:

• 40km battery range

• Top speed of 12km/h

• On-board charger

• 100mm kerb-climbing capacity

• Waterproof controller

• Flight mode & Crash tested

• Three-year warranty

Having access to this equipment will help me live my life, continue spreading messages of visibility, and challenge perceptions of disabled people in both work and social environments.

Thank you for taking the time to read this long description (written on the advice of the GoFundMe website!) All shares, comments, and ideas are appreciated beyond words.

To sign off, as a great man once said to me:

Be Good. Be Happy.

Joe x