BeachAbility
Chairperson, Mrs Margaret le Herissier
beachability.org/beachability@hotmail.co.ukAbout
The idea for BeachAbility came from Founder, Sharon Gray, who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in January 2012 and soon after became a wheelchair user.
“One of my greatest pleasures was walking my dog on the beach but I couldn’t get onto the beach with my normal wheel chair. One day when sitting on the slip at St Ouens, I bumped into my ex-physiotherapist Suzie MacLagan [now the Secretary for BeachAbility], who told me that it had always been a dream of hers to be able to offer access for disabled people onto the beach and so the idea developed.â€
The funds for the first chair were raised by Sharon’s friends, family and the Ladies of Les Mielles Golf Club, who held a charity event for Sharon, back in July 2012, raising a substantial amount of money. Shortly after, BeachAbility was able to purchase its first wheelchair costing £3,000.
Eventually, we would like every beach on the Island (that has a slipway) to have a beach wheel chair for local residents and visitors of Jersey to use and access our beautiful beaches. In 2014 we have set ourselves a target of “The Five Bay challenge†and we have raised enough money for seven beach wheelchairs at the following bays: St Ouen, St Brelade, St Aubin and West Park. In 2015, are goals are to improve access in the east of the Island in St Clement and Gorey.
If you are interested in making a donation or volunteering, please contact Tel: 07797 935 088 to speak to one our team members.Categories: Charities, Disability Equipment & Services.
