Back Packing For Naomi House Childrens Hospice

Hi there. My name is Adrian, a disabled professinal photographer from Brighton. Before becoming disabled I used to thoroughly enjoy camping, going to festivals etc. A few weeks ago, I replaced my scooter with a new T.G.A. Breeze IV. which tows a small trailer. Talking to a friend I suggested that with the trailer I could go camping again. "You can't go camping, You're disabled" he said. At this point the phrase "RED RAG TO A BULL" sprung to mind.I took it as a personal challenge. I know that many disabled people have done far more adventurous things but this will do me for starters. "just watch me" I replied, and next day went out and bought all the gear I would need.
That was when the hard work began. Certain things have to be considered setting up something like this. The range of the scooter on a full charge.(about 20 miles) If you run out of petrol in a car you can take a jerry can to a garage and get a top up. On a scooter, if you run out of battery power, you can't do much about it. Very long extension lead? nah. So you have to plan your trip in maximum 20 mile stints. Maybe stop off for lunch and see if the cafe owner will let you plug in to top up while you are eating. Maybe go to see a film if you want a bigger top up. At the end of each day you have to find a campsite where you can pitch up and can supply you with an electric hookup to recharge overnight. Now I am on oxygen therapy and therefore have to arrange for an oxygen supply at each stop over. This is done through my GP and a wonderfully entitled HOOF form. Rather apt I thought lol. So each day an oxygen bottle will be delivered to my next port of call and the empty collected the following day. When on the Isle of Wight I will be staying on one site for 7 days so I will be supplied with an oxygen concentrator. An electric machine that makes oxygen out of the air. Clever eh? So with all the root planning, campsite booking and HOOF forming taken care of, I can go. I must at this point thank Tim at T.G.A. Electrics the makers of my scooter for giving me spare tyres and inner tubes and a couple of those emergency tyre sealant/inflators in case of emergency, a cover for the buggy for overnight stops. He will also make sure that his company will supply breakdown assistance en route if required, and has arranged for their agents on the island to help me over there if required. Couldn't wish for better.

A friend of mine suggested that while I was doing this trip, why don't I get people to sponsor me for charity. What a good idea I thought but which charity. There are so many. Very quickly came to a decision though. Any of you, my dear readers, who live in the South of England may well remember during the early days of the "Credit Crunch" a Children's Hospice in Winchester, Hampshire lost a lot of money which had been invested for them in an Icelandic bank which failed leaving them with no chance of getting their money back. This meant that not only plans for expansion had to be put on hold, but they might even have to cut back on the services they already offer. This Hospice is called Naomi House, and has a great reputation for their standard of care, and a great atmosphere for the kids and their families. Of course, the "Powers that be" were swift in their response to their pleas for help. "Sorry, we're too tied up bailing out our banks and big businesses so that their bosses don't have to go without their fat cat bonus's and multi million £ pensions. Poor dears. So Naomi House struggles on thanks to "Friends" support. So I contacted them and they have accepted my offer to try to get sponsorship for my trip all of which will go to Naomi House. They are sending me sponsor forms and details of a web site where you can make a donation by Debit/Credit card. I will post the details of the site here shortly. So please help.
I will be doing a daily blog throghout the trip, with pictures and maybe video so keep coming back to see what this fool on wheels is getting up to. lol. If you are keen, and want to know more, you can of course e-mail me.
See you all again soon. Adrian.