WIREDGOV

SCOTLAND’S only beach wheelchair loan scheme has been given the green light, thanks to Big Lottery funding announced yesterday (1 JUNE) to the North Berwick Community Centre.

The £10,000 National Lottery award has been made through the Big Lottery Fund’s Investing in Ideas programme, which provides small grants that enables groups to test and develop their ideas.

Beach wheelchairs, with specially designed wheels to cope with wet or dry sand, will soon be available for rent, free of charge, from the Beach hut at North Berwick harbour. This will give wheelchair users of all ages the chance to enjoy a day beside the seaside with their family and friends.

It is hoped that the project will eventually be replicated across the rest of Scotland.

Over the last few months the group has worked closely with the local community and have received positive feedback from over 100 local families. In February this year they held a busy ‘come and try’ event where people road tested various types of wheelchairs. 

Co-founder and Chair of the Beach Wheelchair project, Alison Brown, said “As a mum of a six year old boy with a physical disability I know firsthand what a difference these wheelchairs can make.  We had the opportunity to use one in France last year and this allowed us to move about freely rather than carrying him to one fixed spot on the beach.  He was able to go right up to the shoreline, dabble with his net in rock pools and look for shells along the beach.

“I'm really looking forward to using the child's beach wheelchair with my son so that he can meet his friends at the beach, something that we rarely did before.  In particular we are looking forward to meeting up with his friend Charlie.  Charlie will use the beach walker and Ethan will use the child's wheelchair to explore the beach together for the first time.’

Co-founder and Secretary, Jackie Tagg, added: “Since starting the project about a year ago we’ve been blown away by the support we have had and we’ve met individuals who have never been on the beach, and families that no longer go to the seaside as they can’t go onto the beach together.  This scheme will help to change that and our ultimate aim would be to replicate it in other parts of the country so more people can enjoy more of Scotland’s beautiful beaches.”

Announcing the award, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn, said yesterday: “Today’s funding will help this seaside town turn an ambitious idea into a groundbreaking project; one which has the potential to change lives locally and across the country. This will be Scotland’s first mainland beach wheelchair loan scheme that will help people to focus on their abilities, rather than their disability.  I am delighted that our funding allows the project to be realised, and so will enable more people to enjoy quality time with their family at the beach.”

Investing in Ideas awards grants of between £500 and £10,000 to enable Scottish organisations to think about, develop and test new ideas or improved ways of working. More details can be found here: https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/investinginideas

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 0141 242 1451
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter: @BIGScotland #biglf 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundScotland

Notes to editors

• The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes. 
• Since June 2004 we have awarded over £6.5billion to projects that make a difference to people and communities in need, from early years intervention to commemorative travel funding for World War Two veterans.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £33 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.