ROTHESAY PUPIL SETS WHEELCHAIR CHALLENGE

Monday, 07 June 2010 12:30

She has now organised a ‘Wheels Week’ to be held at the school from June 14-18, during which pupils and staff will be sponsored to spend a day in a wheelchair.

Nina is raising money for Glasgow-based charity Neil’s Wheels, which provides sports wheelchairs for young people with a wide range of disabilities to enable them to access sports with their peers.

“As a wheelchair user myself, I thought it would be great idea to organise a fundraising event to raise awareness of disabled people,” she said.

“The event will run across the school week and will give pupils and staff the opportunity to experience just what it is like to spend the day in a wheelchair.

“Neil’s Wheels is a fantastic organisation, and I hope that we raise plenty of money for the charity because it makes a significant difference to the lives of many young wheelchair users in Scotland.”

At the end of the week Nina and her team –Nino Zavaroni-Robertson, a fellow wheelchair user, and School House Captain Amy Williams – will be organising a Teachers vs Pupils wheelchair basketball match.

Argyll and Bute’s spokesperson for Education and Lifelong Learning, Councillor Isobel Strong, said she was delighted to hear of Nina’s plan.

“This is a very worthwhile event, and I congratulate Nina and her friends on their initiative in organising it,” she added.

“I would urge everyone at Rothesay Academy and in the wider Bute community to get behind Wheels Week. It will not only raise money for a very worthy cause, but will also show people what spending the day in a wheelchair is actually like, which I’m not sure is something which can be fully appreciated without actually experiencing it.

“I am sure there will be plenty of people who want to support both Nina and Neil’s Wheels, and I look forward to hearing of the project’s success later in the month.”