'Wetwheels' charity looking to expand to Guernsey

Wednesday 21 August 2019

A national charity which helps disabled people spend time on the sea is looking to do more work in Guernsey.

Wetwheels is up and running successfully in Jersey and uses a specially adapted boat to allow locals with disabilities to get out on the water.

"We have an excellent profile in Jersey and have established excellent relationships with charities catering for the disabled as well as a number of other organisations such as Holidays for Heros and The Primary Care Mental Health Service, which includes people living with dementia," said charity spokesperson Dina Cook.

"Every trip is a pleasure as you can see the enjoyment on everyone's faces and the feedback we receive is overwhelming."

Pictured: Image from wet wheels.je.

The Jersey charity is part of the Wetwheels Foundation, which was established in the UK in 2014 by disabled sailor Geoff Holt. It was named British Marine Charity of the Year in 2018 and continues to help hundreds of people.

Although Wetwheels Jersey is privately owned, it has full support and guidance from the foundation.

"What we want to do now is raise awareness in Guernsey so that we can offer the same opportunity to people here," Ms Cook continued. "We know there will be plenty of demand but sadly, to make it happen, we do need sponsorship."

The charity aims to come to Guernsey for short stays as part of an outreach programme, so it can run several trips a day for about four days.

Pictured: Image from wetwheels.je.

The idea grew after Wetwheels visited the island to take Paul Soper out with his family friends, who were visited from Hungary. Mr Soper was a keen sailor until an accident three years ago left him paralysed from the neck down.

"It's absolutely fantastic that Paul can be included in an activity which he loved and also spend time at sea with people who are important to him," said his PA Sandie White, who organised the trip.

"We have been talking about it to lots of people since and everyone is very interested. We can only hope the companies will come forward and support the charity."

Anyone interested in knowing more about the charity can contact Dina Cook by emailing operations@wetwheels.je.

Pictured top: A Wetwheels outing.