Do you remember ? ..... The INVACAR

The Invacar Ltd (UK) was established in 1948 by Oscar Greeves after having built a 3-wheeler for his paralysed cousin, Derry Preston-Cobb. As a result of the many casualties from the second World War Greeves realised the need for such transport to be widely available. After contacting the government they agreed to pay for the vehicles to be made of which sold in great numbers. These first vehicles were powered by an air cooled Villiers 147cc engine and as well as Invacar other manufacturers also received a contract from the Ministry of Health to produce 3-wheelers. These included Harding Ltd, Dingwall & Son, AC Cars Ltd, Barrett, Tippen & Son, Thundersley and Coventry Climax.

Until the late 1950’s there was no set standard for the vehicle and so many designs appeared ranging from one - two seaters. As a result the Ministry of Health. standardised its requirements which stated that the vehicle was to be powered by a 147cc air cooled Villiers, engine, have a single seat and have steel pressed wheels where by the single front wheel was powered. In addition the vehicle was also to have hydraulic braking and an electric starter all encased by a fibreglass body in Ice Blue. The vehicles were then leased to disabled drivers as part of their disability benefit. The Invacar was modified several times and changes saw Austin Mini wheels being used and a change of engine in the early 1970’s when the Villers engine ceased production. The Invacar was then fitted with a much more powerful 4-stroke 500cc & 600cc Steyr-Puch engine which gave a maximum speed of up to 82 mph. It was the Thundersley Invacar that became the most popular of Invacars as it remained in production until the end of the final DHSS contact in 1977.

It is estimated there were approximately 1,300 Invacars in use around Britain in 2002 but on the 31st March 2003 the vehicles became illegal to own and illegal to drive on the British Highways*. Government service centres were busy crushing around 50 Invacars per month until they no longer existed. A few privately owned examples seemed to have escaped with a few finding their way into museums. The vehicle was replaced by the 4-wheeled, government approved 340cc Canta.

* I have since heard that a number of Invacars are still on the road and it seems to depend on how the vehicle was taxed. Invacars taxed as invalid carriages can no longer be used though those that were classed as tricycles can be.
 

Launch of SW Equality prototype Google Maps

As part of their BASIS funded project, South West Equality have launched phase one of their google maps showing Equality organisations in the South West.

The maps show Third Sector (Voluntary community and social enterprise) organisations that work specifically in the field of equality in the south west or that support and provide advice; guidance and voice for people from the different equality strands.

The prototypes and related information can be viewed on the Equality South West website and let any Equality groups or organisations you work with know that they can be added to the maps free of charge by contacting jack.horwood@equalitysouthwest.org.uk
 

"Meat glue" comes unstuck as  MEP casts key vote

Liberal Democrat MEP Sarah Ludford cast the deciding vote on Wednesday to ban the use of so-called "meat glue" in pre-packaged meat products and stand up for food quality.

The additive thrombin, colloquially known as meat glue, is an enzyme made from the blood of cows or pigs. The sticky substance glues scraps or morsels of meat together so that they look like one single piece of meat, and could even be used to make imitation 'fillet steak' or 'pork tenderloin'.

EU governments and the European Commission - lobbied by the food industry - are seeking to authorise the sale of these 'glued' products in supermarkets.

But MEPs in the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday rejected this proposal by just one vote.

Sarah Ludford said:

"Bismarck once reportedly said that there are two things you should never watch being made: sausages and laws. I part company on the latter, but food processing should not be disgusting. The European Parliament was right to act to ensure that sausages are not in reality glue sticks."

"Even if products containing thrombin would have to be labelled as a 'composite meat product' in the small print, this is just misleading for consumers as they will not be able to tell if their meat is the real thing or lots of little bits stuck together. The use of this additive is also suspected of facilitating bacteria growth."

"In addition, it could cause problems for people of certain faiths if different types of meat - beef and pork, or halal and non-halal - are glued together."
 

'Right to live' group targets MPs

A new campaign by disability rights activists to limit the right to die launches at Westminster on Thursday.

The campaign - called Not Dead Yet UK Resistance - will be asking MPs to sign a charter in support of its aims.

It says that disabled and terminally ill people should enjoy the same legal protection as everyone else.

Those in favour of assisted suicide argue that opposing assisted suicide will condemn terminally-ill people to suffer needlessly.

The Not Dead Yet UK's charter includes a commitment to oppose any changes to existing laws which state that assisting a patient to commit suicide is illegal.

The campaigners claim that the prevailing view is that disabled people's lives are not worth living, and that this contradicts the perception that many disabled people have of themselves.

Their charter also states that disabled and terminally-ill people should have access to the health and social care that they need.

Not Dead Yet UK's convenor, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, says she fears that cuts in services across the UK will create additional problems for disabled people.

"There have been two attempts to weaken assisted dying legislation in the past four years, with further discussions taking place in the Scottish parliament now," she said.

"We face a bleak situation if calls for assisted suicide to be lawful are renewed whilst vital services are being withdrawn or denied."

Baroness Campbell points out that disabled people need help and support to live, not to die.

"We cannot allow others to speak for us - especially those who seek to offer us the choice of a premature death: it is not a choice, it is to abandon us."
 

PRCA announces Leonard Cheshire Disability as first Chairman's Charity

Leonard Cheshire Disability and the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) have announced a two year corporate partnership that will raise money for the charity and at the same time provide those in the PR sector looking to employ disabled people with advice and support that will help them overcome the perceived obstacles. 
 
The charity, already well known for its work for challenging perceptions of disability through its award winning Creature Discomforts PR campaign and Ability Media Awards becomes the PRCA’s first Chairman’s Charity.

Desiree D’Souza, Leonard Cheshire Disability Head of Major Giving said: “Many organisations have preconceived ideas that there are complications around hiring people with disabilities. “This partnership will challenge stereotypes and provide employers with advice about how they can easily work with disabled people.”

David Gallagher, chairman of the PRCA said: “One of the biggest challenges for agencies and PR in-house teams is finding enough high calibre candidates. Leonard Cheshire Disability can help employers dispel the myths and remove the perceived barriers to employing disabled people, increasing the choice of great candidates they can choose from.”
 

Muscular Dystrophy Campaign Says Wait For Home Adaptations 'Far Too Long'

Disabled and older people have been waiting up to eight years for their councils to carry out the adaptations they need to live independently at home, according to new figures released by Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.The statistics – revealed through Freedom of Information Act requests – show the time taken between an assessment of a request for support, and the adaptation work taking place. Of the 84 English councils that provided information about their longest delays in 2008-09, 47 admitted their longest waits were at least two years, 28 said they were more than three years and 15 had longest waits of more than four years.

Head of Campaigns at The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, Nic Bungay, said: “Too often vulnerable families living with muscle disease are forced to wait far too long for essential home adaptations.”

Nic added: “We are frequently contacted by people at the end of their tether, due to the reluctance or refusal of their local council to provide them with the adaptations they so desperately need. It is clear that the system is in urgent need of reform – people living with muscle disease should not be denied the right to a decent quality of life by their local council.”

The investigation into the system of disabled facilities grants (DFGs), which fund improvements such as installing a downstairs bathroom, a ramp, or better lighting, was carried out by the Sunday Telegraph.

Staffordshire County Council said its longest delay was eight years, while in the London Borough of Barnet it was more than six years, with another seven councils saying their longest delay was more than five years.

Earlier this year the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign welcomed a 7% increase in the amount available to help fund adaptations to disabled people’s homes, but called on the government to go further.
 

The next deadline for applications is 15th July and full details of how to apply and the online application form can be found at bbc.co.uk/Pudsey.

 We would love to receive more applications for small grants and more applications from good projects in Bath & North East Somerset, Dorset, Isle of Wight, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Cornwall, Channel Islands, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

Please help us by letting local groups working with disadvantaged children and young people know about this deadline.
 

Supermarket parking limits 'breach' disability laws

The UK's big supermarkets are breaking disability laws by having strict time limits in about two-thirds of their car parks, charities have told the BBC.

Private firms run some of the parking areas for Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons and customers face penalty charges for overstaying.

But under the Disability Discrimination Act, businesses need to make extra allowances for disabled people.

The supermarkets say they will review their policies on disabled parking.

Supermarkets are increasingly using private parking firms and automatic number plate recognition systems to limit customer parking, often to two hours.

'Acknowledge problem'

The restrictions are to discourage drivers from abusing the free parking spaces.

BBC Breakfast contacted 200 large supermarkets from the four main chains.

Of the 124 that imposed parking time limits, about two-thirds said they did not give disabled people any extra time to shop, which is a breach of the law.

Neil Coyle, from the charity Disability Alliance, said: "Supermarkets need to acknowledge there is a problem, and secondly, very quickly they need to ensure their car parking procedures conform with the law.

"You or I can stamp our feet and say how outrageous it is but at the end of the day there is a law that protects disabled people from this happening."

He said the supermarkets needed to end the "unfair charges" or "they can wait until someone takes a legal case and potentially face a considerable compensation case".

Motorist campaigner Neil Herron said supermarkets should get rid of the "draconian" and "legally questionable" private enforcement process and handle car parking in house.

"If someone is abusing the system, clamp them, charge them a £2.50 clamp release fee, handled by their own staff.

"Britain's motorists are being stealth taxed by another dubious practice," he said.

The BBC's Keith Doyle said all four supermarket chains have said they will review their policies on disabled parking.

"If you do need extra time, the advice is to go to customer services in the supermarkets - they have all told us they will make allowances, they will review their policies - so give customer services your registration number and hopefully you won't get a ticket," he said.
 

MOUNTAIN TRIKE
THE ALL TERRAIN WHEELCHAIR

The Mountain Trike is a revolution in wheelchair design which offers wheelchair users the freedom to safely venture out into the countryside, travel over muddy tracks, grass, gravel and uneven terrain. The ATW gives riders the ability to go to places that are completely inaccessible to traditional wheelchairs.
The Mountain Trike allows riders to travel up hills without rolling backwards, through it's unique braking and propulsion system. Easy manouvering even when freewheeling is enabled by the highly intuitive Direct Steering System (DSS).

The Mountain Trike opens up a whole new world of adventure.
The Mountain Trike benefits are:

•Highly stable on uneven ground
•Easy and Intuitive steering (DSS)
•Ability to tackle rough terrain
•Superior traction on hills and soft ground
•Ascent of hills without rolling backwards
•Extra comfort and stability through the independent suspension

www.mountaintrike.co.uk
 

Looking after someone 2009/10 : a guide to carers’ rights and benefits

Carers have certain legal rights to benefits and other help. Carers UK is aware of many carers who do not know about their rights or how to get help. Every year £740 million of carers’ benefits are unclaimed. Carers UK is here to make sure carers know about their rights and the help available to them. This guide sets out what rights carers have and how they can get:

• financial help

• practical help

• help with combining work and caring.

Our service is unique in Cornwall and thousands of people enjoy access to places which they simply couldn't reach by themselves.

 We offer companionship, fun and freedom. . . 

Come and enjoy our wheels! 
 

Once again the South West Disability Show returns to the Westpoint Centre Exeter.

Entry and Parking is free and visitors will have the opportunity to feel, touch and see the latest products, services and innovations. The show now includes a range of Free CPD and certificated Workshops and this year, we are pleased to announce that leading expert Fiona Collins from Tissue Viability Consultancy Services will be giving a full Presentation on Friday 9th July. Again this is free for all visitors.

In addition, the show boasts a range of demonstrations and activities including Basketball, Football, Dancing, Kite Flying and Tennis.

We hope you will be able to visit the show and would very much appreciate it, if you could pass on this email to any friends or colleagues that may be interested. We also seek help in getting details of the show onto various related and information websites.

With more stands, more workshops, more activities, more demonstrations and leading experts on hand. The South West Disability show really is the show for members of the general public, Carers,
Occupational Therapists and other Health Professionals.

For Further information visit  <http://www.southwestdisabilityshow.co.uk>
www.southwestdisabilityshow.co.uk
 

London Fashion comes South ... BY POST !!

GOOD NEWS for those younger readers ( and yes ... before you comment ..... I am including myself ) who long for something different from the usual run of the mill high street options that we have down here in the South West ...

UNIQLO  the innovative  Japanese Designer of Casualwear, with  outlets New York and Paris but whose stores in England  centre around London, have now launched an online UK catalogue, which covers most of their stock from new arrivals to sales items ... and at great prices !!

This great news for those of who are less mobile as it gives us access to a fashionable wardrobe from the comfort of home. You can also sign up for their news letter to keep abreast of what is "on-trend".

Click on the logo below and shop till you drop ...  and by doing so, help support this site !!