Thanks to CHIPS Charity and the joint fundraising efforts of customers and staff at Cashino Kings Lynn in Norfolk, ten-year-old Frances Carpenter has been presented with a brand new powered wheelchair, which will help improve her independence and allow her to get around her mainstream school.
Cashino, which operates 168 adult gaming centres across the country, is one of the main fundraisers for CHIPS, a charity set up on behalf of the casino and gaming industry, which provides specialised wheelchairs for children with severe mobility problems.
Frances, who lives in Peterborough with her mum and dad, Michelle and Pete, and older brother suffers from Muscular Dystrophy – a muscle disease involving the increasing weakening and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time.
Frances’ mum, Michelle, said: “Due to her condition, her current NHS wheelchair no longer meets her needs and is really impacting on her independence and self-esteem. We’re excited to see how this new wheelchair with the correct support will help her spend more time with her friends, both in school time and after. We can’t thank Cashino and CHIPS enough for everything they have done.”
Cashino Kings Lynn venue manager, Jonathan Foskett, said: “It’s such a proud moment to know that our fundraising efforts are going to make such a huge difference to Frances and her family’s life. She’s such a lovely, friendly and intelligent girl who thoroughly deserves this powered wheelchair.”
One of the co-founders of CHIPS charity Linda Lindsay said: “It is so important for CHIPS that our donors see the results of their hard work, and we try to ensure that all the recipients are local to where the funds have been raised. Cashino and parent company Praesepe have been amazing, and have donated £1.2 million allowing CHIPS to provide more than 150 wheelchairs up and down the country.”
In total CHIPS has raised more than £2.2 million to date and presented over 520 wheelchairs to children throughout the UK.
