Powerchair Football is the format of football designed specifically for those who use wheelchairs. Using specially designed powered wheelchairs, the game is a 4-a-side format played indoors using a larger ball and upright goal posts. Powerchair Football is unique as it is also mixed gender and open aged, meaning players of all backgrounds can participate. Ages range from 5-65 years old and there are over 500 participants playing powerchair football across England on a weekly basis. Kent currently has one club - Sevenoaks Powerchair Football Club - who train regularly and play in both regional and national competitions.

The Kent County Football Association and the Wheelchair Football Association are working in partnership to explore the creation of a powerchair football team for the East of Kent. They are looking for interested people - players, coaches or volunteers - to get in touch. Future sessions will be delivered by powerchair coaches and equipment will be provided to support new activity.

You can register your interest via the QR code above or you can email Harry Mark at the Kent FA: harry.mark@kentfa.com or 01602 791 850

Charging your wheelchair and other things to take into account: 

1. Chargers are designed to be used overnight, even if you are using the chair for 15 mins during the day, the charger is designed to charge the chair to capacity.
2. If you are not using your chair for an extended period (a week plus), put it on charge overnight once every 4-5 days.
3. Please avoid picking at the arm pads.
4. Please avoid cigarette burns on the fabric and cushions.
5. Please refrain from pressure washing powered wheelchairs.
6. The chair should not be stored outside.

Do you need an engineer? 

• If there is excessive movement in anything, even non safety pieces of the chair, please call for an engineer to resolve it as tightening a bolt is far easier and cheaper than replacing a complete arm side, and it needs to be fixed whatever happens, suffering through it is not a good idea.
• If you call for a repair, and something else happens between the initial call and the engineer arriving, please call again and have this added to the existing job as we may be able to fix both things in one visit.
• Photos are very helpful for identifying parts, but make sure to include an overall photo of the chair as sometimes the close ups do not help, and having a tape measure can also help.
• The engineers are under time constraints, we are very aware that the next job could either be 5 mins, or 2 hours, please be out of the chair (if possible) so that the engineer can get the job started quickly.
• Please maintain a level of cleanliness of the chair, our engineers cannot work on chairs if there is risk of contamination.
• We will endeavour to provide you either an AM or PM appointment, but please bear in mind we cannot give you guarantees as we are unable to predict how previous jobs will go.

Are you a wheelchair user, carer, or family member of a wheelchair user? Would you like to get involved in shaping better services?

Come along and have your say at our next Service User Engagement Forum on 18th June 2025.

I’ve put together our latest updates, and insights to keep you informed and engaged. From the office and facilities update and service user caseload to exciting upcoming events, including the dates for our next Service User Engagement Forum. Read on to find out more!

The Wheelchair Alliance has called on Government to remove ‘ridiculous’ guidance that could see children needing driving licences for wheelchairs. Here, Nick Goldup, COO and chair of the Alliance explains more.

The Wheelchair Alliance is an organisation which represents the voices of wheelchair users and we have urged the Government to act now on an update to current guidance that would require disabled children to have driving licences and insurance for their powered wheelchairs.

My name is Archie and  I have been a wheelchair user for almost 3 years. Sport has always been a big part of my life so when I started using a wheelchair it was important for me to find ways to still be part of the sports I loved and to find sports where I'd be supported and understood when my health changed...

We're shining a spotlight on two of our colleagues... Theresa Hodges, Clinical Lead in Ashford and Nicky Parks, Customer Service Administrator in Gillingham.

Read on to learn more about Theresa and Nicky and their work at Kent and Medway Wheelchair Service.

It is great to have the opportunity through this newsletter to discuss the important work of the Wheelchair Alliance, so thank you for taking the time to read this. My name is Nick Goldup the Chair and, since February, the Chief Operating Officer of the Alliance.

My Name is Sophie and I have MS (multiple sclerosis) While the diagnosis is relapsing remitting, each relapse has taken a bit of me that has not returned and means that my condition, my disability has progressed.

CEDAK (Centre of Excellence for Disabled Archery in Kent) was set up in 2003 to enable with disability/ impairment to enjoy the sport of archery in an environment that is accessible to all.