Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My name is Oliver, I'm 18 and I live in Bicton Heath, in Shrewsbury. 

I have bilateral cerebral palsy, a condition that affects my mobility, and it's left me a permanent wheelchair user.

I'm studying Horticulture at Derwen College’s Oswestry campus. I'm now in my second year and I have to access a woodlands area to study horticultural land maintenance, but unfortunately my current wheelchair can’t travel over the rough ground and gravel in the wooded expanse.

I have a real love of gardening and I really enjoy being outside. I picked it up from my Mum and Nan, who has a small holding.

We grow our own vegetables, like pumpkins, potatoes and
courgettes, so it was a natural progression for me to choose  horticulture as a career path.

But I’m really worried that without the correct specialist
equipment my career could be over before it’s begun!

I also have to attend work experience one day a week at
the local cemetery but my wheelchair gets bogged down in the gravel and I'm unable to move.

Without a new, specialist, powered wheelchair I’m
struggling to see how I can complete my course and further my career.  

My parents researched what powerchair would best suit my needs but they discovered that there was a significant financial barrier to them buying the equipment.         

The most suitable chair for me costs a whopping £15,011 and as you can imagine that’s way beyond our budget.

It’s heart-breaking knowing that we can’t afford to buy a
chair that would be so life changing for me.

The new wheelchair would not only allow me to access the
facilities at my college, and help me to get the degree that I desperately
want,  it would also allow me to enjoy other activities, like family days out on the beach, and walking the dog with my 13-year-old brother Charlie.

My parents had resigned themselves to being unable to buy the powerchair for me but then a friend told them about Caudwell
Children, the national charity that provides practical and emotional support to disabled children and their families.          

And now, thanks to fundraising support from the charity, we've started a new campaign to raise the money we need to buy a state-of-the-art powerchair for me.

Caudwell Children has been superb, they know how important this piece of equipment is to my future. 

They’ve set up this Just Giving page and have contacted other funding organisations, such as foundations, rotary clubs, and mason’s
lodges. 

Our friends have raised £600 towards the wheelchair but the charity is determined to help us hit our target. But I want to appeal to the public, the business community, and other funders to give me a helping hand
in raising the money that I need.

I know it’s an awful lot of money but with your support my life could be so much better.  

Thank you!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.