New wheels for Will

William is a happy, energetic and adventurous 14-year-old boy. Like most 14 year olds he loves getting out and about and exploring his world.

Unfortunately, as Will has got bigger, his adventures have become a little limited. William uses a wheelchair to get out and his current chair just does not get him very far. We live in mid-Wales, surrounded by beautiful beaches, woodlands and hills, yet we are limited to the few walks on the smooth footpaths and pavements that are around. William desperately needs to be outside. His condition means that opportunities to socialise and get out are already severely limited. He needs to be able to explore his environment with friends and family, as well as independently. Imagine a 14 year old stuck in the house or a car for most of the weekend.

We have spent a couple of years looking at different wheelchairs and trying quite a few out. The chair that meets William's needs is fantastic! It would allow him to go on most of the walks we used to be able to enjoy as a family, to join us walking his dogs on local beaches rather than sitting in the car watching. It has controls that he could use to be more independent and not reliant on someone else deciding where he goes or what he looks at. The chair is powered, so it will also help anyone who is pushing William to get him over bumpy tracks or up slopes as even the shortest and smoothest incline is now injuring our backs as we struggle to push his current chair up. It isn't just country lanes and bumpy tracks we want to make more accessible, we also need a bit more help simply getting around town.

The chair is by Trekinetic, and fulfils all the criteria we need. William would need extras such as lap belts and vehicle harnesses and all of this doesn't come cheap. The quote we have had is just under £17,000. We have put money towards it already and will also apply for any grants available but we have set a target here for £13,000 with the hope that we won't need quite that much if we are successful with grants.

William is already missing opportunities because of the limitations he faces in his current chair. Just last week he had to cut a school trip short and miss half the day because he couldn't access the muddier areas that the other children could, this would have been completely possible in a Trekinetic, it can go almost anywhere! We are keen to get going and get him out there, enjoying his adventures again as soon as we can! Friends and family have already planned some amazing fundraisers and we will try to be creative with ways of making some money so watch this space :)