Thanks to CHIPS Charity and the joint fundraising efforts of customers and staff at Cashino Neasden, 15-year-old Danyal Shad has been presented with a brand new wheelchair, which will give him a level of independence he previously only dreamt of.
Cashino, which operates 165 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.
Danyal, who lives in Luton, Bedfordshire with his parents Sajjad and Gulshan and three siblings, Bilal (12), Humyal (10) and Ayaan (6) suffers from a brittle bone condition, which has led to him having 40 broken bone incidents. He also suffers from a number of learning difficulties.
Danyal’s Dad, Sajjad, said: “Danyal can walk a short distance when he has his walker, or is with a carer, but this new wheelchair will give him more independence than he’s ever had before, which is something any 15-year-old boy craves. He will be able to spend more time with his friends, and be involved in more activities. It’ll also hugely help with his general health as he won’t be as fatigued. We’re so thankful to Cashino and CHIPS for this wheelchair; it will really make a difference to Danyal’s life, and ours.”
Cashino Neasden venue manager, Olusesi, said: “It’s such a proud moment to know that our fundraising efforts are going to make such a huge difference to Danyal and his family’s life. He’s such a lovely boy 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.