Hey, my name is Joel and I’m a Personal Trainer living in Norwich. I also happen to be a full time wheelchair user and a Wheelchair Rugby player.

in December 2024 I traveled with Ryanair for a Rugby tournament. In the return flight I was shocked to find my wheelchair had been broken in the flight. The brake had been snapped off and the frame of the chair was bent. This meant I could no longer sit in the chair without it causing me pain.

Now initially Ryanair were great and accepted full liability and asked for a damage assembly to be done. I booked an appointment for this but was unable to get one for many months due to demands on the NHS. Once I received the damage report and sent this to Ryanair they informed me that my case had been closed without my knowledge, but agreed to reopen it again. I was told reopening the case could delay it by 6 weeks which isn’t ideal, but I accepted it at the time. But with it now being well past the 6 week timeframe and my last contact with the airline being shut off because they where not willing to help means I’ve been unable to work full time for over 4 months and I am at risk of losing my job because I cannot bare to sit in my chair for long enough to complete my shifts.

I have been working tirelessly to raise the funds for the chair independently and I’m pleased to say there is only £2400 of the £8000 left to raise.

if anyone could please share this to help me get over the final step so I can get my independence and life back I’d really appreciate it.

much love,

Joel