The Back-Up Trust Under-18s Project

Dear Back Up Supporters,

2010 was a great year for Back Up's Under 18s project.  Highlights included the development of the first exclusive Under 18s wheelchair skills training which were hugely successful and are due to be repeated regularly from 2011 onwards. 

The Under 18s courses were held in Keswick in the Lake District and all had 100% capacity.  Activities druring te weeklong course included kayaking, abseiling, hiking, and sailing.  Here's a story from Elly, one of our course participants in 2010:

Elly was injured in 1998 following a road traffic accident.  Her injury left her completely paralysed from the neck down and relying on a ventilator to breathe.  Elly wanted to attend the course because she was physically isolated from socialising and having trouble interacting with her peers. 

Following the course she told Back Up that she had really enjoyed the swimming.  It was the first time she had been swimming since her first under 18’s course in Keswick over a year ago.  She is now determined to start swimming again with her school. 

 The biggest highlight on the course for Elly was meeting Barry, one of the wheelchair skills trainers.  This was the first time Elly had ever met someone with a similar level of injury.  She was given the opportunity to speak to and ask questions of someone who could directly relate to her concerns about dealing with the cold and managing dysreflexia.  Her care team also quizzed Barry about different issues to get a better understanding of what Elly goes through.

 She said that “learning and achieving so many things has made me much more positive about the future.  I am now convinced that someone with a spinal cord injury can take part in life as much as someone without an injury.”

Thank you all for your support in 2010.  Without it, we wouldn't be able to positively affect the lives of so many people with a spinal cord injury.