A charity that helps make the beaches of the Northumbrian coastline more accessible to wheelchair users has received a special boost from a Magic source.
The Magic Trust charity formed in 1994 when Bodil Boanas, the founder took her daughter’s fell pony “Magic” for a drive around the country lanes near Ogle with her daughter and a young disabled boy. Since then, the charity has used horses to help disabled people learn carriage driving skills but recently the charity closed due to the retirement of its trustees. The sad demise of one charity however has given another a £4000 windfall donation that will carry on the spirit of The Magic Trust to a new group of recipients.
Beach Access North East was set up to give access to the coastline to wheelchair users. The charity buys specially adapted wheelchairs and hires them out free of charge to those people wanting to enjoy time by the waterfront at Blyth, Tynemouth Longsands, North Shields and at a soon to be launched new resource at Whitley Bay near to the revamped Spanish City Dome. Their patron is Paralympian Gold medallist Stephen Miller.
One of the Trustees for Beach Access North East, Caroline Corfield said:
“This fantastic donation from The Magic Trust will provide more all terrain beach wheelchairs and other equipment to allow everyone to enjoy our local beaches. It’s fitting that the Magic Trust provided a wonderful opportunity for people with disbilities to enjoy carriage driving and now this donation will ensure that their work lives on by giving wheelchair users the equipment they need to ride on our beaches. We will call the new wheelchair “The Magic Chair” in honour of their kindness.”
Bodil Boanas from The Magic Trust added; “Magic was a very special pony, who gave happiness to many, many people in his lifetime, and I feel happy in the knowledge that his name will carry on for years to come and that our funds will still be benefitting drivers albeit in a different way.”
ENDS
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