Rhys is a fun, loving, cheeky teenager who loves nothing more than can getting outdoors in the countryside, trips to the Lake District and his absolute favourite, trips to the beach! He

also has Angelman Syndrome (AS), and whilst this does not define Rhys, it does present him with some challenges.

AS is a rare neurological disorder affecting around 1:20,000 births in the UK. Characteristic features include delayed development, severe learning difficulties, little or no speech and issues with movement and balance.

We have been fortunate to have an all-terrain wheelchair for the last nearly 10 years for which Rhys completed a one-mile sponsored walk, to part fund raise, way back in 2015

(https://youtu.be/_3sBSVzAEDg) He did this in his walking frame supported by family friends on a cold, wet and blustery day and was an absolute trooper!

Rhys is now in need of a new one more suited to his specific needs, which have changed as he has grown somewhat over

the years! His existing all-terrain wheelchair has been a game changer for us and for Rhys, getting us to places we would never have been able to visit with his standard issue wheelchair and we would be extremely limited as to what we could do with Rhys without an all-terrain wheelchair.

The wheelchair we would like to get Rhys is an Extreme Motus X3

https://www.rosscastors.co.uk/extreme-motus-offroad-wheelchair.html at a cost of £4290. The X3 is a manual, off-road wheelchair. Its long wheelbase gives stability over bumps and allows it to climb 3 stairs at a time.

With the centre of gravity over the rear axle the chair is easily balanced on the rear wheels to make turns or descend hills in a controlled manner using the independent rear brakes. Large wheels inflated between 2-4 psi act as suspension for the rider, and allow the chair to be pushed over grass, sand, rocks, mud, snow, and even float in water. The tires are filled with enough air to make the chair buoyant.

Users of the X3 can be pushed straight into a pool or lake and play right along with everyone else.

The X3 all-terrain wheelchair will take Rhys to new places!