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Drumossie Hotel's afternoon tea will help Inverness girl get special wheelchair


By Ian Duncan

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Sophie Walsh, Mark Sweeney and Kenny McMillan.
Sophie Walsh, Mark Sweeney and Kenny McMillan.

An Inverness hotel will be raising funds over November to help buy a local girl a new wheelchair.

Sophia Walsh, who is 10 years old and a pupil at Milton of Leys Primary School, lives with quadriplegic dystonic cerebral palsy – a condition that affects all of her limbs.

It makes everyday tasks, such as eating or moving around in her chair, difficult and such day-to-day activities require assistance from others, taking away from her independence.

Until the end of this month the Drumossie Hotel will be offering 100 per cent of the proceeds from its classic afternoon tea to help her family raise the £25,000 needed to buy a Permobil F5 wheelchair.

In order to improve Sophia’s quality of life her family has launched several crowdfunding appeals to raise the money needed.

The chair enables Sophia to go from sitting to standing and various positions inbetween – simple movements that many of us may take for granted.

She had a five-week trial of the chair earlier this year and when her classmates noticed the difference in her they began fundraising to ensure that the life enhancing piece of equipment could completely belong to her.

It has been medically proven that standing can have many physical, psychological, emotional and social benefits to users.

Kenny McMillian, the hotel's general manager, said a couple staying at the hotel had first highlighted the cause and added: "When Mr and Mrs Macdonald come up, they like to get a copy of the local paper, which is where they saw Sophia's story, and decided to join in the fundraising efforts by giving their afternoon tea income in aid of Sophia getting her new chair."

Sophia the trial of the chair had helped her in many ways and added: "I enjoyed standing for assembly, and it gives me independence to change position whenever I want. Having this chair would mean the world to me, because then I could finally feel like everyone else."

Her mother Tracey Walsh said it would make a difference to her daughter and to family life and added: "This is a life changing piece of equipment; it will enable her to stand up, lie down and vary her position throughout the day independently which is so important if she gets tired, sore or stiff."

People can book afternoon tea at the Drumossie online on their website or by contacting the hotel on 0344 8799017.

If you are unable to attend an afternoon tea in November but want to donate towards the chair, either head to Sophia’s GoFundMe page: Stand Up for Sophia or the Stand Up for Sophia Facebook page.


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