Care home resident in beach wheelchair has 'great, big smile' after dipping toes in sea

A care home resident who lives on the seafront can now go on the sandy beach and dip her toes in the sea, after the care group received funding for a beach wheelchair.

Lizzie, who lives at Livability Dolphin Court, and is blind and doesn’t communicate verbally, was the first to try out the wheelchair.

Theo Nuns, activities coordinator at Dolphin Court, said: “When Lizzie felt the water on her feet, she gasped and there was a great big smile on her face.

“She was smiling and singing and laughing. We had a picnic too – she thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Walking on the beach and enjoying the sounds of the waves is a simple pleasure enjoyed by many people who live near the coast. However, residents who live at Dolphin Court, up till now have only been able to enjoy the views from their flats in Southend.

Ordinary wheelchairs are unable to traverse over sand and pebbles, so Dolphin residents have had to make do with staying on the pavement on the beachside road.

When the Friends of Dolphin Court group heard about residents being prevented from going on the beach, Friends member Mike Stafford, a local councillor who champions disability services and access in the town, worked with the team to secure funding from a newly created, local disability investment fund.

“Our first action was to fund the beach wheelchair for Dolphin Court,” says Mike Stafford, who continues to put pressure on the council for more facilities for disabled people. The new wheelchair’s fat tyres mean it glides easily over the beach surface.

Dolphin Court is now planning to fundraise for an additional beach wheelchair, to accommodate residents with more complex posture needs. "Being on the shore, hearing the waves and smelling the sea is something some of our residents just love," says Theo Nuns. "We will make that happen for as many people as we can."

click here for more details or to contact Shaftesbury Dolphin Court