Eleven-year-old Wendy Luli is looking forward to getting a hi-tech powered wheelchair so she can make the most of school life and days out with her family.
Wendy, from the Little Chester area of Derby, has Cerebral Palsy which means she has limited mobility and is only able to walk short distances. She currently has the support of a manual wheelchair, but has to rely on carers, family and friends to push her around.
Mum Eliza Luli said: “Wendy is a typical 11-year-old and wants to be independent. The powered wheelchair will make that possible.”
Wendy does not meet local authority criteria for the £5,569 powered wheelchair, so the family turned to leading UK children’s disability charity Newlife Foundation for help. Newlife has awarded 139 Equipment Grants for children in Derbyshire, totalling £202,439.
Wendy, who is a pupil at St Benedict Catholic Voluntary Academy in Derby, has already trialled a powered wheelchair. Eliza said: “She found it really easy to use.”
Now Wendy’s dreams of independence are coming true, thanks to a charity partnership between Newlife Foundation and Central England Co-operative.
The regional retailer adopted Newlife as its staff-elected charity in 2012 – and colleagues and customers have since raised more than £730,000 to fund specialist disability equipment for children in their trading area. To date, more than 320 children have been helped.
Charlie Price, Manager of the Central England Co-operative store in Ashbourne Road, Derby, said: “As a regional retailer we always ensure that our staff-elected charity supports people in need in our trading area. We are delighted to have been able to help Wendy and her family in this way.”
For full details of Newlife Foundation’s range of practical support for disabled and terminally ill children and their families, call the Newlife Nurse Helpline – 0800 902 0095 (free from UK landlines) – or go to: https://newlifecharity.co.uk
Pictured: Wendy Luli
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