“On a rainy September morning, I had the privilege of joining Nicola on a boat trip off the coast of Dover. As luck would have it, the skipper offered me the chance to steer the craft, and I eagerly accepted. Despite the less-than-ideal weather, I knew it was going to be an unforgettable experience..."

Commentary by Harry Selala

“It was my privilege to join Clive Bassant (Community Liaison and Engagement Officer) in being invited to attend the Wheelchair Rugby, International match between England and Wales on 24th August at Christchurch Sports Centre and witness first hand how exciting and physical wheelchair rugby is.

All the attendees, whether they were players or spectators, were treated to a very competitive game that reinforced what an impact a wheelchair can have. I was able to speak to some of the players and get a better understanding of needs and support that the wheelchair service could provide and I hope to be able to more involved at future events.

Congratulations have to go to the England team who won the tournament 6 matches to 1.”

“My name is Julie and I joined the Wheelchair Service in Gillingham in November 2025.

I qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 2002 in London. I began the first 4 years of my career as an OT in Northern Ireland where I was born and brought up and worked in The Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast..."

Para-Badminton is a rapidly growing sport suitable for a wide range of physical disabilities. Players can be standing or use wheelchairs. Sessions are run by our coach who provides coaching and organises games to improve your badminton. 

Wild with Wheels was founded by Gini, a wheelchair user who recognised the need for inclusive outdoor experiences for people with mobility aids.

The Wheelchair Alliance, a community interest company (CIC) dedicated to improving the lives of wheelchair users, has launched its three-year strategy focused on access, innovation, and equity in wheelchair provision.

Healthwatch Kent and Healthwatch Medway are your local independent champion for health and social care. Our aim is to improve services by ensuring local voices are heard. We do this by going out into the local community to speak with anyone who wants to share a recent experience they or a loved one has had with health and/or social care services. We use your experiences to better understand the challenges facing the NHS and other care providers. We have the power to make sure NHS leaders and other decision makers listen to your feedback and improve standards of care.

Our website hosts articles of accurate information and clear advice on an array of different topics to help you feel empowered to make the right decision about your health and social care.  

Click here to learn more about your local Healthwatch and how you can have your say

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.