53 - Helping with bathroom adaptations for wheelchair user - August 2021

Our friends at SHASBAH (Sheffield Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus) have nominated one of their members for our help. His name is Marcus and he lives with his wife Anne. He is a wheelchair user full time. He was born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus.


Marcus desperately needs adaptations to his bathroom. His current situation is untenable and the set up he copes with hinders his independence at home, and also literally puts a strain on his wife who has to lift and transfer him. He cannot get his wheelchair up to the sink either.  He has been assessed for a wet room by Barnsley Council and he has to pay a contribution of £2400. Unfortunately in the assessment process they can only take into consideration income and not expenditure. The couple are struggling already managing debts. They have reached out to various charities, including SHASBAH, who have given what they can, but remain £600 short of their target.


Our member from Shasbah tells us she has personally met both Marcus and Anne several times at the charity’s events. She knows how these adaptations will make the world of difference to their living situation and will be a massive help in making Marcus feel more independent in his own home - not to mention the difference it will make to his wife. 


We thought this was a project we really wanted to support and spoke to Shabah about the situation.  What we learnt was that our £500 donation would leave the couple £100 short of their target, and that until that final sum was found, work could not get underway, but the couple and those supporting them felt they had exhausted most of the avenues available to them. 


As we have some surplus in our account just now, our team unanimously agreed to put in the additional £100 to allow the adaptations to commence as soon as possible.


We could tell on the phone how much this meant to the nominator, who immediately told Marcus - who said ‘I am gob smacked. Absolutely over the moon.’


He has promised to take some before and after shots so we can show you what our money has achieved. 

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