WheelPower 
Playing sport is a relatively simple thing to do. You just need a pair of trainers, a tracksuit, and depending on what you want to do maybe a racquet and a ball. Unfortunately it’s not always that easy for someone with a disability.
Before a disabled person can even start thinking about which sport to play, where to play it or even what to wear, they need to overcome their biggest barrier and find a suitable sports wheelchair.
The Wheel Appeal is aiming to raise £6,000,000 to provide over 2,000 disabled people with a new sports wheelchair, training and coaching that will enable them to participate in sport and enjoy competitive and recreational sport.
The Wheel Appeal will either fund ‘standard’ manual sports wheelchair or provide a grant towards a ‘bespoke’ sports wheelchair. Unfortunately the Wheel Appeal does not provide funds towards power wheelchairs.
Rehabilitation
1200 men, women and children become paralysed due to an accident or illness every year. Many more people acquire a different disability that means they need to use a wheelchair. All will benefit by participating in wheelchair sport and leading a healthier, more active life.
Through sport many people whose lives have been traumatically changed can enjoy the tremendous physical and psychological benefits of participation and competition.
If a recently disabled person focuses on something they can do, and potentially can excel in, they can gain increased confidence which results in a positive outlook that can influence other areas of their lives.
Sport can make an amazing difference to the life of a person with a spinal cord injury:
It aids rehabilitation
It decreases the need for long term healthcare and medical treatment because of the healthy lifestyle
It restores independence enabling people to undertake everyday tasks more easily including dressing, transferring in and out of their wheelchairs to the car, bath and bed
It motivates disabled people by giving them new goals and increases confidence and self belief
To find out more about Wheelpower and what we do, give us a visit!