PEOPLE with mobility problems can now use the beach at Felixstowe thanks to a charity buying a new all-terrain wheelchair for the resort.Felixstowe-based BASIC Life - Business and Service in Christ - charity donated nearly £3,000 for the specialised wheelchair, which will be free for up to two hours per user.
PEOPLE with mobility problems can now use the beach at Felixstowe thanks to a charity buying a new all-terrain wheelchair for the resort.
Felixstowe-based BASIC Life - Business and Service in Christ - charity donated nearly £3,000 for the specialised wheelchair, which will be free for up to two hours per user.
Disability charity Optua helped to co-ordinate the project, after being involved in testing a similar wheelchair for Aldeburgh.
Suffolk Coastal council cabinet member Doreen Savage said: “It has long been the national belief that it is virtually impossible to offer suitable access for disabled people on shingle or sandy beaches, but we decided to challenge that view and, after in-depth investigations, we found an American-made wheelchair which is especially designed for use on soft or rough ground.
“Now, thanks to a very generous donation from the BASIC Life Charity, a chair is available for use by residents and visitors in Felixstowe who have mobility problems and who wish to access the beaches in this popular resort.”
The chair will be stored at the Felixstowe Tourist Information Centre at Undercliff Road West, and is available for free use for up to two hours per user between 9am and 5pm Monday to Sunday from April to October, and 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday (9.30am Saturday) from November to March. All people have to do is deposit a Blue Badge, driving licence or similar document.
Graham Denny, of BASIC Life, said: “Having seen the Aldeburgh chair successfully in action, we were pleased to be able to find an all-terrain chair for visitors to Felixstowe.
“We are sure that this chair will make the experience of a day on the beach more fun and will make it much more accessible to a significant part of our community.”
WEBLINK: www.basic.org.uk
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