A member's story

I first heard about the IOSH Benevolent Fund through the e-bulletin Connect and decided to apply because our daughter, Annie, who suffers from Spina Bifida, needed a new wheelchair. 

I had applied to the local Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus for funding towards the cost of the wheelchair.  They usually do assist and on this occasion they offered £1300 which meant that we were £1730 short.  I contacted the Administrator of the Benevolent Fund who explained that we were eligible to apply; she explained the process and quickly sent us the forms that we needed to complete. The application form was quite simple to complete and the whole process was fairly quick.  We were delighted to hear that our application had been successful and the Benevolent Fund had granted us £1700, which meant that we could purchase the wheelchair.

Having a disabled child in the family really is hard work.  The wheelchair enables Annie to join the rest of the family when on holiday, on the beach and into the water.  Wheelchairs and sand do not mix but this is a specially designed chair made of water and sand resistant materials.

Annie is a member of the local Brownies and they take part in lots of ‘off road’ events, for example, treasure hunts, beach picnics and kite flying.  Without this special wheelchair, Annie would not be able to participate.

This photo was taken when we attended a charity rugby festival at Caldy Rugby Club.  Our son was playing in his school team and Annie was able to attend in her new chair, despite the uneven terrain.  Annie really did enjoy herself, it’s great to have day out for all of the family.

Thank you to the Trustees of the Benevolent Fund for their assistance.

A testimonial from one of our members who benefited from the Benevolent Fund.