A care provider has invested in a range of beach chairs which make it possible for people who need physical or neurodiverse support to enjoy a trip to the seaside.
Quality Plus Care Solutions, which is based in Easington, provides assistance to young people and adults to enable them to lead as normal and independent a life as possible.
Run by experienced qualified nurse Ebba Ushe, the company is registered with the Care Quality Commission and commissioned by Durham County Council to work with children who present with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). They also provide adult care services as and when required. Many of their adult clients are people who have been discharged from the NHS but require ongoing community care.
And as part of her commitment to continuously enhance and expand the portfolio of services and support Quality Plus Care Solutions offers, Ebba decided to invest in the beach chairs after seeing them on a trip to Bergen Ann Zeeg beach in The Netherlands.
Ebba, who is originally from Zimbabwe, said: “I first saw the chairs during a visit to the Netherlands and was amazed by them.
“You see, these specialist wheelchairs are designed for use on the sand so it means that people who are physically disabled and require them to get out and about, or those people with severe neurodiverse conditions which would make it impossible for them to visit somewhere like the beach, are now able to experience a trip to the seaside like everyone else.
“The specially designed beach chairs make it possible, as the wheels glide along the sand and are easy to push. You can also go right to the water’s edge which is great for the users.
“These chairs really are life changing for some of the people we support, as without them there is no way they would be able to enjoy the beach. And of course, just because they need support that doesn’t mean they should miss out on things that many of us take for granted.”
Ebba has invested in five of the chairs, three for adults and two for children, which are available to hire out by the hour.
The chairs can be collected from the Quality Plus Care Solutions offices and are easy to assemble.
Ebba, who is in the process of creating a healthcare centre with plans to team up with podiatrists and physiotherapists who can offer private treatment alongside her medical care, said: “These beach chairs are still quite rare in the North East but I want to change that. Especially in these summer weeks and months when we love nothing more than a trip to the beach to enjoy the coastal air and get ice cream or fish and chips.”
The chairs can be booked out for £15 per hour. To find out more https://qualitypluscaresolutions.com/services/outdoor-activities/