THE GIFT OF INDEPENDENCE

It’s less than 10 days until Christmas and around the world millions of children (and adults too!) are excitedly anticipating bursting into their living rooms on Christmas morning to find out if Rudolf has eaten his carrot and if Santa has devoured the mince pie they left out for him the night before. They will then turn their attention to the presents under the tree desperately hoping the biggest one is for them.

However, for some very special little people, whether or not they celebrate Christmas, the most special gift they get this year might not be waiting under a tree. Instead, it might be coming from one of Designability’s three UK centres in Bath, Leeds or Larne (NI), in the form of a Wizzybug!

Wizzybug isa specially designed electrically powered wheelchair for young children with physical disabilities between 14 months and 5 years old (or up to 20kg). It gives these children, who otherwise might be fully dependent on their parents or carers, the independence to explore their environments and play with their friends and the freedom to get up to mischief like all little ones do.

Wizzybug can be used both indoors and out, and its robust structure means it can also be used to go exploring “off road”. The controls can be adapted to cater to needs of the child, for example by joystick, switches or carer control. Flexible seating includes postural support with harness and headrest and optional accessories can be added to suit each child. It is also easy to transport as it can be taken apart to fit in small cars.

As there is often no NHS funding for powered mobility for very young children, in 2011 Designability launched a loan scheme to make Wizzybugs available FREE of charge to children across the British Isles that could benefit from one. In the last 10 years, these fantastic chairs have transformed the lives of 1,000 families with 99.9% of them saying that they would recommend the scheme to family and friends.

Wizzybugs are given to families on indefinite loan for the child to use for as long as they need. The design of each bug is adapted to the specific needs of the recipient. Their innovative design means that they can be easily adjusted as the child grows. The average Wizzybug loan is three years, after which the chair is refurbished and loaned out to another family or retired and parts recycled into new Wizzybugs.

The James Tudor Foundation is proud of the long relationship we have had with Designability and we are proud to be able to award them a grant to pay for another Wizzybug to join the 519 strong fleet in the new year.

If you know of a special young person who might benefit from a Wizzybug, take a look at the Designability website https://designability.org.uk/meet-wizzybug/ for more information about how to apply. If you are reading this from outside the British Isles, although you won’t be able to make use of the Wizzybug loan scheme, it is possible to purchase one. Details of the different countries you can buy them from and the numbers you need to call can be found here https://designability.org.uk/meet-wizzybug/buy-a-wizzybug/ .

It is not just at Christmas time that the angels at Designability dedicate themselves to giving the gift of independence to these young people, helping them to reach their full potential at the same time as bringing a great deal of joy to their lives. Follow this link to hear what “Wizzy” means to Daisy https://youtu.be/V9bEmVHE3zs .

From all of us at the James Tudor Foundation we wish you a happy and healthy festive period and a safe start to 2022.