Here’s a bit more about me.
As you may have read in Why FWS? I’ve had to use a wheelchair for over 25 years. I found it pretty hard to deal with in the first few years. Back then, I’d go out, but I would stick to my local area and not venture too far away. I think I was scared of the unknown – would I be able to get into a toilet? How would I feel in crowds? I made a lot of mistakes and spent a lot of time on bed rest due to bumps and scrapes from not using my wheelchair correctly.
Readmission to hospital
After being re-admitted to the hospital six years after my injury, I was encouraged to attend a course with a Spinal Injury organisation called Back Up. I went to the Lake District and attended a multi-activity course with them, and I came back a different person! Following the course, I had more courage to venture further, especially on my own sometimes.
Post course courage
I remember that after I attended the course, I was out with a few mates on a weekend, and one suggested we go clubbing – just on the spur of the moment. It was my first experience of the trains and the London Tube network (I did need to be carried up and down flights of stairs in some tube stations. Unfortunately for mobility-impaired travellers, not all Tube stations have access). Together, we ended up in a London nightclub. And were given access to the VIP area, admittedly just because I was a wheelchair user – QUALITY!
Work.
I’ve had a few jobs over the years. I got my first job 18 months after discharge from the hospital. This job involved working on a production line for a company making mobile phone antennas. I held this job for seven years and became a Prototype Surface Mount Engineer. The job was finished because the company had relocated. As a result, I then worked in several different fields. Even a major supermarket. Before starting Freedom Wheelchair Skills, after volunteering with them for several years, I got a job with Back Up, one of the UK spinal injuries charities.
Charity Work.
At Back Up, I worked in the Outreach Team supporting people with Spinal Injury to make positive changes in their lives. Part of the role was teaching wheelchair skills, and I was involved in writing the Back-Up Wheelchair Skills Manual, a guide to support new wheelchair skills trainers. Over the years, I have taught wheelchair skills in many hospitals around the country and on Back-Up courses. In training sessions, I taught people from a wide range of backgrounds and ages, including children and older adults, and discovered I was passionate about seeing people develop these skills and the difference they could make in their lives.
And Finally.
I have come to realise that there are many more wheelchair users in the country who don’t get the benefits of peer-led wheelchair skills training. This is why I have started Freedom Wheelchair Skills.
I’m married and have a young son. Over the years, I’ve tried my hand at a few different hobbies, like fishing and wheelchair basketball, but these are my current pastimes.
- Family Time. I spend time with my family, especially on holidays. I also enjoy sightseeing in the UK and abroad, including a honeymoon tour of Canada, driving the Garden Route in South Africa in a BMW series 3 with hand controls (not bad considering I only ordered a Honda!), and sweating in Spain and Florida (I don’t do well in the heat).
- Live music, big arena venues, and summertime in the park. My top four live acts would have to be Paul Weller, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, and Jamiroquai.
- Curry. Especially good with mates.
- The Great Outdoors: Country walks in the woods or down by the river. My wife and I are walking the Thames Path – not in one go! —but we are trying to do it all eventually.
- Growing vegetables in my raised beds at the bottom of the garden.
- Watching England play football at Wembley.
- Keeping fit. I regularly go for a push on my own with my headphones on, great on a Spring evening! I try to go out on my hand bike when the weather permits it.
- Cinema. You can’t beat watching films on the big screen.
- I love reading. My favourite authors include Jack Higgins, Simon Scarrow, Chris Ryan, and Scott Mariani.
Dislikes (or Things that wind me up).
- Drivers who go all the way round mini-roundabouts!
- People driving whilst holding a mobile to their ear – how much does hands-free cost?
- And people driving wearing shades when it’s overcast.
(Perhaps I spend too much time in the car?)
