Great Yarmouth Borough Council has announced that beach wheelchairs are now available to book for free at two locations.
The special wheelchairs have large pneumatic wheels which allow them to slide over the sand giving people with limited mobility easy access to the beach without fear of damaging wheelchair wheels or getting stuck in the sand.
Users must be able to transfer themselves from their usual wheelchair on to the beach wheelchair because there is no hoist available. People are required to push the wheelchairs because it is difficult for users to manoeuvre the wheels in the usual way.
The chairs are supplied with a chest strap but do not have a head support. In order to fit comfortably in the chairs, the maximum weight of users is 114kg and the minimum height is 92cm.
One wheelchair is available at Gorleston-on-Sea all year round and can be found in the shelter close to the ramp, opposite the strip of shops and eateries.
The other beach wheelchair is available at Great Yarmouth all year round and can be found in a new purpose-built storage area on the grassed area close to the public toilets at The Jetty, near to the Sling Shot and Big Wheel attractions in the Sea Life Centre Gardens.
Bookings can be made up to four weeks in advance via https://clubspark.net/GreatYarmouthWheelchairHub/Booking
The wheelchairs are free to hire with one booking in each location per day. Please book the 8am slot on the booking system, however people can collect and return the wheelchair any time between 8am and 8pm.
On the day of hire, a code will be emailed to the booker to access the wheelchair store. Users will be able to store their usual wheelchairs while using the beach wheelchair.
Ruth Cockrill, Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s marketing and events officer, said: ‘’We know our beach wheelchairs are very popular and are delighted to be able to help even more people enjoy the fantastic beaches we have in Great Yarmouth and Gorleston.
‘’The locations of the wheelchairs are easy for people to access and convenient. We’re also grateful to the Sea Life Centre for making space available for the wheelchair while the new storage unit in the gardens was being completed.’’
Funding for the wheelchair kiosks is provided by the EXPERIENCE project at Interreg Europe – an inter-regional co-operation programme, co-funded by the European Union. The European Union strives to reduce disparities in the levels of development, growth and quality of life across Europe’s regions.
Featured image is courtesy of Nick Read Photography
