AN ANGUS teenager with cerebral palsy will tackle a Duke of Edinburgh expedition next year with the aid of a special £10,000 wheelchair.
Gemma Lumsdale (15), from Monifieth, loves the outdoors and was distraught that her need for a wheelchair meant she was unable to join her classmates from the New School in Butterstone, Dunkeld, on a DoE challenge last year.
Since then the Duke of Edinburgh Association raised funds to buy a specialised wheelchair which they hope will allow Gemma to complete the scheme’s requirements next year.
The four-wheel chair, made by British firm Molten Rock, is designed to travel on all terrains and can even cope with a 60% gradient.
The company’s Boma 7 chair was taken up Ben Nevis to prove it can overcome the most challenging conditions.
Gemma’s mum Sally said she was delighted that so much effort had been made to allow her daughter to take part.
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She said: “Gemma hates being different and loathes not being able to do the same as everyone else which is why this is amazing for her. The amount of commitment the Duke of Edinburgh organisers have put into getting Gemma the chair is fantastic.
“I don’t know if she will succeed on the Duke of Edinburgh expedition because it’s still a huge challenge, but it would be fantastic for her self-esteem if this works.”
After hearing about Gemma’s disappointment at being unable to take part, development worker Gillian Creedican, from DoE’s Perth and Kinross Association, found out about the wheelchair through an internet search.
She said: “There were about three participants last year in Perth and Kinross that weren’t able to complete the DoE expedition because of access issues.
“I did a Google search and found there were wheels that could be added on to a wheelchair but they don’t offer the same comfort, support and suspension as the Boma 7 chair, which is the best in the business.
“We were delighted to receive £10,000 of the funding by an Awards for All grant and we have carried out extra fundraising to buy a trailer, spare batteries and helmets.
“It will be made available to anyone who needs it in Tayside. It could even be available for leaders who require it as well. We are ecstatic about getting the chair.”
Gemma has already tested out a version of the chair and was hugely impressed with the results.
An order has been made for the Boma 7, which will be manufactured in February.
Sally added: “The chair is very different from anything else that’s out there. Gemma was going up and down over pallets without any problems at all. It’s an amazing machine.”
Molten Rock was founded in 2004 by engineer Chris Swift, who has been a wheelchair user following a neurological illness at the age of 19.
His vision was for a wheelchair that would give him and other wheelchair users the freedom to enjoy the great outdoors.
On typical farm trails the Boma 7 has a range of 12-16 miles on one set of batteries. It has a maximum speed of 8mph.
Last year Edinburgh woman Sally Hyder reached the summit of Ben Nevis from Fort William in the chair in seven hours.
rmclaren@thecourier.co.uk