Madelaine

I’ve been a wheelchair user for 20 years, but a festival goer much longer. As it got harder to self-propel, I started looking for an electric chair that could do everything I needed, and quickly decided there wasn’t one.

I watched people with mobility scooters get stuck in the mud and not be able to be pushed or fail to get up the huge hill at Boomtown. I borrowed a scooter at Womad, which is great on the flat paths, but I felt I was driving a car through busy crowds. Bigger electric chairs would have meant trading in my car for a van and ramps.

Then a wonderful friend loaned me his Trekinetic for a festival. It was a manual, but I was amazed at how much easier it was to get about. The off road tyres and suspension meant I didn’t have to carefully pick a route avoiding every stone and bump and because it is not much bigger than a standard manual I could get it in and out of my car and still feel like I was part of the crowd while watching bands.

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I was extremely lucky that my mum then bought me an electric Trekinetic. It’s changed my festival experiences completely. I no longer worry about mud or packing enough rubber gloves. My chair ploughs through anything with ease. Unlike most electric chairs I can take the battery off to charge, which means I can leave it to charge at a bar or backstage while I watch a band, and never worry about running out of power.

I have a spare battery so I can always have one on while the other charges. Last year my PA was taken ill the day before Boomtown. Ordinarily this would have meant me missing the festival, but because I know the GAMA team and trust my chair, I went on my own.

I would never have been able to do that before. It’s given me back my independence and I love it. The only thing that slows me down now is having to stop and talk to people who constantly want to ask about my chair.

Mitchell

Mitchell is 10. He is very silly! He loves his Xbox, remote control cars, sports cars, dogs and hanging out with his friends. Mitchell lives with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic muscle wasting condition, which means that his muscles are weakened, and he struggles to walk long distances.

As a family, we’ve always enjoyed camping and attending a local music festival, Deershed, but as Mitchell’s condition worsened, it became more difficult for him to enjoy being outside and to safely get around.

Mitchell adapted to his new chair quickly and loved how it meant he could independently get around the park, up and down hills and through the mud. Since purchasing the chair, we have been to our favourite festival, camping in the Lake District, Disney World – Florida, Corfu, Gran Canaria and Italy, as well as using the chair to get around locally on weekends.

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The chair has changed our lives as a family living with a member with a disability, enabling to do the things that we enjoy together as a family that we wouldn’t be able to do without it.

Mark

I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2007, though looking back, I’ve had it since 1992. MS is a progressive disease with no cure and affects every single one of us differently and unpredictably.

Personally, I’ve slowly moved from full mobility through to use of a walking stick, crutches and finally to a Wheelchair. I can still hobble around the house with a walker, but there’s no way I can get anywhere outdoors without a chair.

Having a Trekinetic has been mind-blowing! It was crowd-funded for me by family and friends, so even the day of receiving it was very emotional…and may have involved champagne!

At the time, we lived down on the UK South Coast, so on the very first day I was properly on a beach for the first time in years. Within a week I was ‘rambling’ through the New Forest, and within months I’d had a snowball fight with one of our sons, – again for the first time in years.

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You get used to stares or sly looks from people when you are in a chair. The difference with the Trekinetic is that it’s a conversation starter. Bikers, engineers, other wheelchair users are all fascinated by it, and I’ve developed quite the sales patter!

We have two sons, 14 and nine as I write. Whilst we remain close and I try to have as normal a parenting relationship as normal, having a Trekinetic has brought back so much more outdoor and adventure opportunity for them and me.

It’s glorious, but it hasn’t just been life-changing for me and our sons, but for my wife too. Any outdoor activity previously involved me stranded somewhere whilst she was off doing the gallivanting. Now, when she feels like a break, we can leave her to relax with a coffee or glass of wine, whilst I do the muddy stuff. We can be a team again.

I’ve been to festivals with it, we’ve travelled abroad, and I’ve even completed an Urban Tough Mudder thanks to my Trekinetic (and ten willing volunteers chucking me over obstacles!). Love it.

  

Josie

I’ve been a wheelchair user since an accident in 2003, which left me with a high -level SCI. I grew up and live in the countryside and felt really restricted in being able to get out and access the countryside.

After much searching, I found the Trekinetic GTE, which changed this dramatically. I really like how versatile it is for an all-terrain chair. It has the capability of taking me up hill and down dale, but it’s also small, lightweight and manoeuvrable enough to use indoors when needed. For example, I can take my dog for a walk along the river and then stop for a hot chocolate on my way home, as its narrow enough to get through a standard door width.

I’ve been on many adventures, forestries, beaches, open access ground and National Trust places. I really enjoy finding new places to visit and enjoy in my Trekinetic.

Imogen

I have been a right leg, above knee amputee since 2007. I have never really got on with my prosthetic and didn’t feel like it was really an option for me. Using my crutches is fine for short distances but anything more, I need to use a chair. I remember the first time I saw a Trekinetic chair. It was bright yellow and the girl in it just zoomed past me in my conventional wheelchair. I was lucky though, as my dad managed to catch a glimpse of the logo on the back.

From there I purchased my first Trekinetic chair, a K-2 in pink. I have both road and off-road tyres for it, which I wasn’t sure I needed at first, but I can honestly say it was the right decision.

I’ve always loved to travel and getting the first chair was amazing. I was able to get to places I never would have considered before. It opened a whole new world of destinations to me! From the snowy tundras of Finland, to the beaches and rainforest of Costa Rica and the monstrous Acropolis hill in Athens, with the occasional helping hand, there was no stopping me.

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Unfortunately, I had a fall in December 2018, which damaged my shoulder and made it almost impossible for me to use a manual chair.

At this point, I made the decision to upgrade to an electric version (GTE Mk ll) I picked the chair up just a day before I was due to fly out on my six week round the world honeymoon (yes I know this is excessive but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!)

This meant the chair was thrown in at the deep end and covered the equivalent of seven marathons (from paved roads to muddy tracks) and 15 flights in the first two months of ownership. At the end of all that, the chair was running as good as the day I picked it up!

It’s not just the chair which is top notch, the service and support from the team has been amazing, and they have always been so willing and accommodating to help.

I can honestly say my chairs have been some of the best purchases I have ever made. In a word, they’ve given me my independence, and let me experience something I couldn’t before: holding my husband’s hand as we walk down the street.

If you’re still unsure if this is the chair for you, please take a look at my adventures and see what I have put my chair through on Instagram @threewheelingadventures