Member Article

Oliver chuffed with new sports wheelchair

Oliver Parkinson, 14yrs from Stockton on Tees, is the latest in a long line of youngsters in the region to benefit from the support of the Northumberland and Durham branch of the UK’s largest sports related charity.

Oliver, a keen basket ball player with the Tees Valley Titans, recently received a donation of £1,000 towards a bespoke sports wheelchair from The Lord’s Taverners, a charity famous for the support it gives to young people with disabilities, enabling them to enjoy sporting and recreational activities.

Carrying out his first official engagement in his new role as chairman of the local branch of the Lord’s Taverners, Jamie Graham visited Oliver as he trained with the Titans, to see at first-hand how the youngster was getting on with his new wheelchair. He said:

“It was a delight to meet Oliver and see him putting his sports wheelchair through its paces as he practised with the basket ball team. By helping him in this way, I understand from his coach and his mum that his prowess on the court has improved significantly along with his confidence and independence.

“All the money raised in the region stays in the region and I am thrilled to be the new man at the helm of such a well supported and valued charity. I am looking forward to working with many more local organisations that support disabled or disadvantaged youngsters to lead more active lives.”

Further to the donation from the Lord’s Taverners, Oliver also received funding from the Titans to the tune of £1,000, while his parents provided the remaining £1,000needed to buy his specialised wheelchair.

According to his mum, Andrea, Oliver’s confidence has shot up and so have his skills on the basket ball court. She said:

“Oliver is absolutely thrilled to bits with his new chair and we are both very grateful for the support we have received from the Lord’s Taverners and the basket ball club. His everyday chair just wasn’t agile enough for him to really participate in basketball in the way his new chair is. Since getting the specially adapted chair he has become a much better player and that has boosted his confidence not only on the court but generally, which is a joy to see. “

Finally, Mr Graham added:

“With funding available, I would encourage other organisations that support young people with disabilities to contact the Lord’s Taverners to see how we might be able to help them with funding or a donation. “

For further details log on to www.lordstaverners.org

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Leigh Chelton .