Rebus author Ian Rankin backs crowdfunder to bring beach wheelchairs to Nairn
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One of the world’s biggest-selling crime writers is backing a community crowdfunder to bring beach wheelchairs to Nairn.
Inspector Rebus author Sir Ian Rankin is lending the Nairn Beach Wheelchairs project his celebrity support after witnessing the success of similar initiatives elsewhere in Scotland.
The fundraising campaign has been launched by a group of volunteers who want to make the famous seaside town accessible to everyone.
The multi award-winning novelist and philanthropist said: “A family member who is confined to a wheelchair has used the beach wheelchair facilities in Portobello and North Berwick so I know just how valuable an amenity they are – for access to both beach and sea. I wish Nairn all the very best in their fundraising!”
The popular holiday destination boasts beautiful stretches of sand but people with mobility problems are often left looking on while family and friends splash in the sea.
Nairn Beach Wheelchairs aims to raise £15,000 to enable people of all ages to enjoy the right to dip their toes in the waves and roll along the shore.
Similar projects in seaside destinations such as Dornoch, Portobello and Balmedie are already proving hugely popular.
The volunteers, many of whom have family members who have complex needs and mobility issues, are encouraging people from across the north to get involved and donate.
Founder and volunteer Amelia Williamson, who lives in the town, said: "We are delighted and very grateful to have words of encouragement from Ian Rankin, which will help us put our campaign on the map even more.
"This project is for the granny who, thanks to a beach wheelchair, dabbles her toes in the sea beside her grandchildren for the first time in a decade.
"It's for the teenager with complex disabilities who squeals with delight as she splashes her daddy in the sea.
"It's for the mum who is so desperately tired never knowing how to give her child a wee holiday and it's for the visitors to know that our beautiful beaches are for everyone.
"And it's for my daughter Beth to see other people like her, in a beach wheelchair, in her home town, as just part of everyday life."
Beach wheelchairs have larger, air-filled tyres which allow ease of passage across uneven sand.
They can be taken into the water, allowing people to dip their toes in the waves.
Many wheelchair users do not have access to the seaside because their tyres can't turn in the sand.
Co-founder and volunteer Gavin Cobbs said: “I am a paediatrician who works extensively with children and young people who experience profound challenges in their life with accessing resources that most of us take for granted.
"Nairn Beach Wheelchairs will help provide that support and access to one of our great natural resources in Nairn, the beach, promoting social inclusivity and wellbeing. Please support us.”
A site to house the project has yet to be found, but possible locations along the seafront are already under consideration.
The £15,000 target would ensure the purchase of two beach wheelchairs, one for a child and one for an adult, and would include the construction or purchase of a suitable shed or container, seating area and a hoist to allow the safe transfer of those wishing to use the wheelchairs.
The crowdfunder hit 23 per cent this week.
The move is also being welcomed by Nairn Access Panel. Secretary and treasurer Séamus McArdle said: "Nairn Access Panel is working hard to bring about the necessary changes to the physical environment to make Nairn a more inclusive, integrated and welcoming place for disabled people.
"It will be really exciting to see how the Nairn Beach Wheelchair group’s plans to facilitate anyone with mobility problems joining in the fun will enhance the work the Panel are doing at the Links.
"We encourage everyone to support this great initiative."
The group has a Facebook page 'Nairn Beach Wheelchairs' and a link to the crowdfunder can be found here.
