0800 0556377 / 01803 872 020Opening Hours

Mon - Fri
8:30am to 7pm
Sat
9am to 5pm
Sun
10am to 4pm
Basket - £0.00

You have no items in your shopping basket.

 

Welcome to UK Wheelchairs - the home of value and quality

Monthly Archives: April 2017

  • NHS nurse heroe works from electric wheelchair

    We recently read of the British nurse who is believed to be the first working nurse to operate from a wheelchair. Michelle Quested qualified as a nurse in 2004 and began her nursing career as an able bodied nurse in frontline operations at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

    However in 2010 she was involved in a car accident that eventually left her in an electric wheelchair. 4 weeks after the accident, two of her spinal discs ruptured and crushed her spinal cord meaning that she lost mobility and was forced in to a wheelchair. Determined for this not to affect her chosen career Michele adopted the attitude that ‘But nurses are born to be nurses – and I wasn’t going to let being in a wheelchair stop me.’ So she set about getting an electric wheelchair adapted to allow her to work effectively.

    She used a manual wheelchair away from work however this was not suitable due to the use of her hands interacting with the wheels meant that she risked contaminating her patients after taking a more hands-on clinical role.

    Her electric wheelchair has been modified to some extent to allow her to work effectively. The changes to the wheelchair cost in the region of £1800 and included changes that make the wheelchair slightly narrower to make it more maneuverable.

    At the age of 33 Michele appears to be the only electric wheelchair user working as a nurse, ‘I cannot find any other frontline nursing staff in the UK who use a wheelchair, after doing a lot of research,’ she said.

    Michelle underwent surgery and several months of rehabilitation after which she could still only move her big toe. It was then that a consultant told her she was unlikely walk again.

    It was then that Quested decided she would be ‘the best possible wheelchair user I could be’ – and decided to go back to work.

  • The PW-1000XL lightweight folding electric wheelchair is here

    Naidex mobility show was held last week and mobility product suppliers of all natures were airing their new wares.

    One product that does shine above others is the all new Foldawheel PW-1000XL folding electric wheelchair which is heralded as the lightest and most advanced power wheelchair on the market. It seems to combine the best of all features that most folk look for in an electric wheelchair, namely the ability to fold with ease, lightweight construction making it easy to carry or lift in to a car boot or on to a bus and suitability to larger or heavier users coping with user weights of up to     150kg (330 lbs).

    We hope to be selling this reasonably priced electric wheelchair very soon and think that it will prove very popular thanks to its strong feature line up. The frame of this power wheelchair is made from aircraft grade aluminium which guarantees one thing and that is strength but allow the wheelchair to remain lightweight.

    The PW-1000XL powerchair seat width is 19" making it wider than the average wheelchair seat. It comes as standard with one battery which provides a range of 13km from a single charge. However, a second or even third battery can be added at extra cost, giving this electric powerchair a potential range of up to 39km or 24 miles from one charge. The charge time for a single battery is just 4 hours.

    Other great features include a brushless electric motor which not only provides more power but also has an extended lifespan over a traditional electric motor that is used in many electric wheelchairs, making it 50% more efficient.

    With a very quick folding action, rigid tyres front and back, twin 250watt motors and a very comfortable seat, this folding electric powerchair seems to have it all. So watch this space and we hope soon to have the Foldawheel powerchair in stock very soon !

  • Wheelchair user completes marathon

    Carl is no stranger to grueling physical challenges in his wheelchair. But this week end he and his wife completed the Manchester marathon in his wheelchair and propelled himself the whole of the 26 mile course taking the somewhat undulating route in his stride.

    Carl, who was born with Spina Bifida, has never let his condition limit his activities and has always enjoyed a challenge in his wheelchair. The unstoppable part time football coach has previously raised thousands of pounds for his football club the Skem Men-Aces Football Club in Skelmersdale , which was specifically set up for adults with learning disabilities.

    After the gruelling marathon even Carl said “I truly cannot believe that today and with my missus that I did the Greater Manchester Marathon 26.2 miles.

    “I’ve never been so physically and mentally exhausted in my life and that was the most demanding thing on my body that I’ve ever done.”

    No stranger to such challenges, Carl has previously won both the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Groups and a BBC Sports Personality of the Year award for his impressive efforts in his manual wheelchair.

    He said: “Between nine and 13 miles I had decided to call it a day but with huge encouragement from a fabulous crowd, Mim and the Skem Men-Aces, I managed to snatch away at each mile.

    “The hills were absolutely ridiculous at times and so soul destroying. “My wife Mim and I cried buckets as we crossed the finish line to rapturous applause, it was so emotional.

    “The people of Manchester were brilliant. They really kept us going with Jelly Beans and encouragement.

    “I’ll take my hat off to anyone that is thinking of doing a Marathon and shake their hands from now on.

    “Unbelievably I am closer to my target of £10,000 and that has made it so worth it.

    “I am in incredible pain but think a couple of pints in the Plough and Harrow pub in Skelmersdale will sort me out!

    Carl was the only entrant to the marathon in  a wheelchair. His drive and energy towards everything is so impressive. He formed the football team in 2009 and it now has over 50 members with varying disabilities including several wheelchair users.

    Although wheelchair half marathons are not so rare, entire marathons require an enormous amount of effort and commitment. Carl completed his marathon in a fairly standard self-propelled wheelchair as opposed to the specialist wheelchairs that you see in wheelchair racing at the Olympics for example. To see more about the world wheelchair marathon schedule click here.

    Well done Carl for such a tremendous effort and completing a massive 26.3 miles in your wheelchair. Your pint is well deserved !

3 Item(s)