The beautiful Isle of Wight is a firm favourite for many people when booking their holiday, with many returning year after year to laze on the beaches, soak up the sun and enjoy the scenery.

However, there are many people who are unable to do this, because at the current time, there are currently NO accessible beaches on the Island and very few beach wheelchairs to hire.

The Island has roughly 7000 residents living with a disability. Research shows that 92% of people surveyed felt that their health condition hinders their enjoyment of Ryde Beach, and 94% said that they would use the beach if there was beach matting installed. The research shows an overwhelming need to provide at least one accessible beach so that these residents can enjoy the Island in the same way (and at the same time) as their family and friends.

The hope is that, with Ryde being an accessible beach, it will not only improve the lives of the residents of the Island – but also the very important visitor! We know that the majority of the Islands’ income is through tourism, and having beaches accessible to everybody can only improve our tourism rates and will encourage everybody, regardless of their ability, to come and visit the beautiful Isle of Wight for their holidays!

To make Ryde Beach truly inclusive, Unlimited Island CIC and Ryde Town Council are looking to buy:

- Beach Matting (This allows standard wheelchairs to travel the length of the matting without sinking into the sand, and can be used as a 'firm footing' for anybody using a walking aid. It's also ideal for families with young children in prams and buggies!)

- Beach Wheelchairs (Similar to the picture above, beach wheelchairs have "moon-wheels" or "bubble wheels" which allow the chair to travel across the sand without sinking or getting stuck. We're looking to get a range for both adults and children).

- Floating Wheelchairs (This wheelchair allows the user to actually enter the water safely and securely directly from the beach. This chair may actually give some of our residents the first opportunity in their lifetime to go in the sea..!)

- Raised sunbeds (Helpful for people who might find lowering onto standard sunbeds tricky)

- Changing places module (on the beachfront - we feel that fully equipped bathroom facilities are essential to make the beach truly accessible and inclusive to all)

Please donate as much or as little as you can to make the Island accessible for everyone. We currently have donations of £25,000 but we are still some way off our target so please, please, share the word and help make the change :-)