Aylesbury 1st August 2010 - UK Wheelchairs is proud to open the doors of its new collection point on August 1st. The UK Wheelchairs South East depot is aimed at making collection of wheelchairs easier for its customers in the capital and home counties.

Sales of wheelchairs and accessories have increased recently despite unfavourable economic conditions. At a time when many sectors are experiencing adverse conditions, UK Wheelchairs is recognising its opportunity to expand and take advantage of current market conditions. Sales of wheelchairs has not been adversely affected, in fact some models have seen an increase in sales based on last years figures. The Company sales director points out that the sale of wheelchairs and accessories has been largely unaffected by the economic downturn due to the marked change in demographics.

UK Wheelchairs realised that the sales of wheelchairs was likely to increase year on year as average life expectancies are extended. By opening a sales depot close to London and the home counties, UK Wheelchairs is able to provide a higher level of service to those living in the South East. Approximately 25% of wheelchairs sold are delivered to addresses in London and the home counties, by opening the depot in Aylesbury, UK Wheelchairs is ideally positioned to distribute to this swelling market. This move is seen as having other positive factors enabling UK Wheelchairs to retain its stronghold within the mobility sector.

UK Wheelchairs is one of the leading suppliers of wheelchairs and accessories to public and trade sectors in the UK focusing on supplying in house branded wheelchairs carrying the Esteem mark.

For more information or contact the director of public relations on 0800 0556377 or visit www.uk-wheelchairs.co.uk

Hi folks ! If you are looking for a good range of accessories to fit on your wheelchairs the you need to look no further than The Wheelchair Company website from UGO Healthcare.

The accessories available fit pretty much all wheelchairs. The section offers many gadgets that have become essential to me and fellow wheelchair users. From accessories that fit to wheelchairs to other gadgets that prove very useful to users of wheelchairs, you can find pretty much what you want.

From cushions, capes and cosies to drink holders trays and bags you can find it all in one place. I know when we go out for the day i like to have all i may need to make the day comfortable and enjoyable. With our typical British summers i like to have a good choice of wet weather gear.

If you can't find what you're looking for feel free to give our friendly and helpful staff a call on 0800 633 5377 and we'll be more than happy to help.

Introducing the all new Zippie Salsa Paediatic Wheelchair - from £1895 - coming very soon !

An incredibly functional yet fun powered wheelchair designed for the padeiatric / junior market. This really does have it all, starting with great looks and an abundance of styling, to a very functional set of features to ensure your child is catered for in a very safe way.

This compact powered wheelchair for children has adjustable power so enable users to learn at safe speeds and to enable you to control the maximum speed depending on the circumstances.

The adjustable seating systems allows a wide range of seating positions and means that this powered wheelchair is easy to recycle or re-use once finished with and can be set up to suit a wide range of size of users.

• Width range: 12 - 16“
• Depth range: 12 - 16“
• Backrest height: 15 - 17“
• Backrest angle: -4 to 16°

With variable power, this wheelchair can be restricted to ensure the speed meets the situation. The user joystick is remarkable sensitive giving acute control yet is not prone to over sensitivity. The armrests provide comfortable support even on the longest of outings.

Concentrating on comfort for the younger user, Sunrise Medical have deployed independent suspension on this pediatric wheelchair. A small coil spring is used on each wheel to give a steady comfortable ride and remove most vibration created by rough surfaces.

Choose the drive base to suit the environment

The mid wheel drive base and 6-wheel independent suspension ensures traction, stability and safety for younger users.
The rear wheel drive base features independent drive wheel suspension for maintaining traction and for good outdoor performance.

We often receive glowing reports from our happy wheelchair customers. The two main complements get are based on the quality of the wheelchairs that we sell and the prompt delivery of these wheelchairs.

We have always strived to give top quality customer service, whether its advice on selecting wheelchairs, rollators or other mobility products or after sales service helping customers with any queries they may have.

When we say that we offer Free next day delivery, it is important that we follow up and deliver a new wheelchair or walking frame the next day. We have a few problems with our present courier service where larger items such as wheelchairs have not been delivered on time. So we have decided to return to ParcelForce - winners of the top 10 Hitwise award last year for their parcel tracking web site.  The ability to track a delivery particularly of a wheelchair is very important and we hope that our customers will benefit from this change of service later this week.
Salutations - the UK-Wheelchair Sales Team

We are currently adding the finishing touches to our new Devon based warehouse and workshop facility.

With more space we are able to stock more wheelchairs and buy more wheelchairs at lower prices. The new warehouse is so big that we have also incorporated a wheelchair workshop where we will continue to service wheelchairs but now make it available nationally.

We are seeing an increase in demand for electric wheelchairs for which we need more space. Most self propelled and transit wheelchairs come in sturdy cartons which we can stack. However the electric wheelchairs require floors pace which we now have.

With a purpose build workshop for servicing, more yard space for the collection and delivery of new stock and a smart new office, we're looking forward to the completion of the new premises and being able to you offer better value for money at UK-Wheelchairs !

London 2012 Wheelchair hire and rental

At UK-Wheelchairs we are taking this summer very seriously and have increased our range of wheelchairs available for hire. We now have an additional 24 self propelled and transit wheelchairs available for hire and have taken many orders for visitors to London for the Jubilee celebrations.

In addition to the manual and transit wheelchairs we have children’s and narrow wheelchairs available for hire so that we can meet the requirements of all users.

The busiest time for wheelchair hire in London is over the Olympic games period. Our London 2012 bookings for visitors to the games extend beyond London and start as early as the 20th Of July, five days prior to the opening ceremony. We have adjusted the booking system slightly to make is as easy as possible for folk to book the wheelchairs online and over the phone. As always, we are able to supply the wheelchair within 24 hours of the order being placed, so even if its a last minute request we're hoping to satisfy everyone’s requirements.

We havekep our prices as low as possible and a wheelchair hire in London can be as cheap as £3 per day depending on the duration of the wheelchair rental. Please use our booking form here if you need to hire a wheelchair for the Olympic celebrations.

When you order any electric wheelchair from us you can opt for our engineered assembly service for just £80 !

We want you to get the most from your new powerchair and enjoy many years of safe operation.

The assembly service means that one of our qualified technicians will deliver the electric wheelchair to your door, unpack and assemble and test it. They will also show you how to charge the batteries and give you instruction on the safe use of your new electric wheelchair.

This service includes all assembly and adjustment to suit the user, testing, demonstration and disposal of all packaging in responsible way.

Please note this service is not available in the highlands of Scotland, the Channel Islands nor BT post code areas.

Although the weather continues to be unseasonably wet and windy, some of you will be preparing for holidays for abroad. We have had a number of enquiries from users about taking their electric wheelchairs and powerchairs away with them and more specifically, questions about the electric wheelchair batteries and charging overseas.

Most electric wheelchair batteries supplied these days are gel filled or AGM types which are non spillable and approved for transportation both by air and by sea. These batteries rely on regular charging to ensure you maximise their usable life. If you do not charge the batteries frequently the batteries can suffer deterioration in performance and failure to hold a full charge. This can also lead to what is known as gassing and the emission of acid vapour.

It is good practice to check what type of batteries your electric wheelchair has. This is easily done by reading the sticker on the lid the next time you charge. Most are clearly stated as AGM on the label. If you cannot find this information then refer to the owner’s manual supplied when you bought the electric wheelchair.

Charging electric wheelchairs overseas

The next obstacle to overcome before you leave is the charging of the batteries overseas. If you are travelling to a country with 220 to 240 volts mains electricity then all you will need is a plug adapter to allow you to plug in. If the voltage is less than this like many European countries you need to find out if your charger will operate at 100 or 110 volts. The chargers supplied with electric wheelchairs by Sunrise Medical like the Salsa, will automatically sense the input voltage and adjust accordingly. This detail will be clearly marked on the Rating Label.

Finally if you're flying and planning on taking your electric wheelchair, you should consult the CAA web site where it lists the regulations and obligations for the preparation and loading of electric wheelchairs on board passenger aircraft, to ensure it is made safe prior to loading.

Many airlines will also insist on you providing information including the dimensions and weight of your electric wheelchair so be prepared !

Read more about travelling with electric wheelchairs and what you will need to let the airline know.

I read recently of the poor man from Cornwall whose wheelchair was damaged on a return flight from Thailand. It reminded me of the importance of having adequate insurance provision at all times and not just when you embark on international travel.

Like buying anything else, there's insurance and there's insurance. Wheelchairs generally warrant having their own specialist insurance particularly when your wheelchair is at all specialist. The other consideration with a specialist wheelchair is that if yours is damaged, how long will it take to get a replacement wheelchair and how will you cope in the meanwhile?

The majority of the wheelchairs we sell are available immediately and do not require a special order nor special build. Prescriptive wheelchairs generally come under this category but not always. There are some models that ate effectively assembled to order and reflect the specific requirements of the wheelchair user. If you come under this category, insurance alone is not going to resolve the situation and a back up wheelchair is always a good plan.

Going back to insuring wheelchairs, it is important to understand that general travel insurance will not provide cover for wheelchairs. Off the shelf insurance doesn't cater for specialist requirements and generally a special endorsement is required to ensure you have the right cover. General advice is to make sure you mention that you are travelling with a wheelchair when you buy insurance and ensure that it is mentioned specifically in the policy document. Also make sure that the single item claim amount is enough to cover your wheelchair, as often it is limited to a sum of £250 or similar.

The man in question had had his very expensive wheelchair damaged in transit and was uninsured. His custom built titanium wheelchair worth £3600 was damaged beyond repair and the local mobility engineer condemned it as a right off. He is now not only without his wheelchair but is also potentially over £3000 out of pocket. No one is being held responsible for the damage.

A quick look at the law shows that under the Montreal Convention, airlines are only liable to pay compensation of up to £1,350 for baggage damaged in the aircraft hold. This is irrespective of whether you can prove that the goods, or wheelchair in this case was not stowed properly during transit.

So wherever you are going for your holidays, whether in the UK or further afield and overseas, please please make sure you have adequate insurance cover and a backup plan for your valuable wheelchair !

During a recent call from a customer we were asked how many of our electric wheelchairs have power seats fitted as standard and which powerchairs can have them fitted as an optional extra. We have sold models with this feature but it got us scratching our heads as to which of our current electric wheelchairs currently on sale have this ability.

We rarely are asked for this so we started to wonder how powerchair users who live on their own actually manage to undertake some of the simplest chores like reaching for items that are stored in top cupboards or how do they reach light switches.

Another good reason for using an electric wheelchair with an elevating chair is to allow the user to have conversations with people at an eye to eye level. This is often very important to many of us and is an important part of establishing good rapport when meeting people for the first time.

We know that many rooms and in deed entire homes are often converted for use by wheelchair users and so appreciate that many household items are rearranged to make things in reach. However for those who are not fortunate enough to have had their home converted or those who find themselves on the move and in others houses and offices the use of an elevating seat is invaluable.

Many daily chores including shopping require the ability to reach up for items, buttons or handles, even using the lift can sometimes become a problem if you can't reach the top range of the push buttons. This is where an electric wheelchair with an elevated seat comes in handy, allowing the user to rise sometimes as much as 500mm or 20" giving them that added reach.

Wheelchair users who cannot afford nor qualify for financial assistance to have their rooms or entire home converted may consider replacing their model with an electric wheelchair that has the elevating seat or might be able to find a company who can carry out a retro fit of a lifting seat. This may be a more viable option.

The most common design for the elevating or lifting seat is the gas powered or hydraulic system where a battery operated pump creates pressure to lift the chair on a hydraulic ram or piston which is operated from the wheelchair controls. However care should be taken to make sure the user's feet and or footrests do not become trapped under items including furniture as the seat rises up. There are some powerchair models that can be used at a reduced slow speed with the seat fully elevated which is often useful when browsing high shelves and other displays.

We will soon be compiling a limited choice of electric wheelchairs with this feature.