An idea that swiftly became a reality: Sedgefield’s first beach wheelchair. In the seat is Corlani de Villiers, accompanied by granddaughters Milakai and Satya de Villiers, with son-in-law
Benjamin Venter behind and good friend Lynne Hancock in front. Picture by Angela Bax.
Surely everyone loves Sedgefield’s beautiful beaches, and having them a hop, skip and a jump from where we live makes access so easy for most of us.
But with the golden sand dunes between the car parks and the sea, access for wheelchair-bound folk has always been nigh on impossible … until now. Sedgefield’s first beach wheelchair was deployed, tried and tested on Myoli Beach on Friday 25 October, and there were big smiles all round from the first test pilot and her family members.
‘Hosted’ by Pili Pili Restaurant the fat tyred roller was procured from a local supplier, with all stakeholders thrilled to be able to support a Sedgefield manufacturer who is a paraplegic himself.
The concept of a beach wheelchair on our local beaches was the brainchild of the Sedgefield Ratepayers Association (SRA), and once they got the ‘wheels rolling’ it quickly became a reality.
They made contact with the Quadriplegic and Paraplegic Charitable Trust, who made a significant donation, with the balance of funds needed raised through the community.
“The Quadriplegic and Paraplegic Charitable Trust is committed to providing accessible environments for people with severe mobility impairments, quadriplegics and paraplegics and the Sedgefield beach wheelchair project was one which the Trustees realised would be a value proposition for the Sedgefield community and economy,” says Ari Seirlis of the SRA.
The Association assures local residents that the committee will continue to enquire from their membership further activities and infrastructure which will add to the tourism offering of Sedgefield and the Garden Route. The SRA focus is on service delivery in Sedgefield as well as improving the well-being of Sedgefield and its residents and holidaymakers.