Thanks to the joint fundraising efforts of customers and staff at Cashino Mansfield, 4-year-old Rory Wholey has been presented with a new powered wheelchair that his mum says will give him greater independence and make family trips much easier.
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 aims to provide specialised powered wheelchairs for children with severe mobility problems.
Rory, who lives with his mum, Dad and two siblings in Nottingham, has not been professionally diagnosed with a specific condition yet. However, he is currently being investigated for a hereditary condition similar to Hereditary Spastic Paraparesis. This condition causes weakness and stiffness in the leg muscles, and is a condition his mum also suffers from. Rory currently uses a K-walker to walk short distances but tires easily and relies on a wheelchair.
Rory’s mum,Kim, said: “To see Rory able to move around without tiring makes me so grateful for this gift from Cashino and CHIPS. I’ve struggled myself with the condition and know how difficult it is and how tired it can make you, so to know that Rory has a chance to reduce some of these struggles is amazing.”
“I have to use crutches and it just isn’t possible to push a pram and Rory’s wheelchair at the same time. It’s a massive weight lifted off my shoulders, and it means we can spend a bit more time together as a family of four without having to rely on wider family. We’re very grateful to Cashino Mansfield and CHIPS for this wheelchair.”
Cashino Mansfield venue manager, Sandra Radford, said: “It is such a proud moment to know that our fundraising efforts have helped a little boy be able to get around a bit easier. Walking is something that most of us take for granted, so it makes us all overwhelmed to know that someone so young has been given more of a chance to enjoy his life as much as he can.”
Co-founder of the 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 to date 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.
