A YOUNG woman who is severely disabled was pleased to receive a brand new specialist wheelchair more suitable for her needs, thanks to Weymouth Rotary.

Sophie Franks, from Weymouth, is 19-years-old and suffers from congenital cerebellar ataxia, and as a result she is left needing a wheelchair.

Her former chair was too heavy and it was becoming a struggle for her parents Hazel and David to push her around, but they could not afford to fork out £500 for a new one.

So Mrs Franks wrote to Pilgrim House - a local Rotary-managed charity that provides a network of services for various organisations - asking for £350 to help pay for the new chair.

Weymouth Rotary president Roger Fry said: “Sophie is severely disabled and she needed a lightweight chair as her parents could not manage with the usual ones.

“Hazel wrote a letter to Pilgrim House and as a trustee I opened it, I took it to the Rotary’s next meeting and we all agreed it was a very worthwhile cause.

Dorset Echo: Weymouth Rotary Roger Fry presenting Hazel and Sophie Franks her new wheelchair, picture: Weymouth Rotary

“Unfortunately we cannot help everybody but we try to help local causes and this was perfect because it is what we are all about.”

The Rotary president met with Sophie and her parents at Active Mobility where they presented the new chair.

Mr Fry continued: “She was overjoyed with her new chair, she struggles to talk a lot but you could tell she was pleased.

“It will massively help especially now because her chair has brakes, most normal chairs don’t which can be an issue going up and down hills.

“In total, it cost £500 but the family received a donation from a national scheme and we contributed the rest.”

Sophie is a pupil at Wyvern school, another cause which the club supports because of the ‘amazing work’ they do.

Weymouth Rotary Club aims to help local causes where they can and felt this was exactly what they’re about.

“We will continue to help as much as we can but there is a limit. Currently a lot of our work is for Ukraine but we still help local causes,” added Mr Fry.

“Fayre in the Square is also coming up in May and we will need to consider where donations can be given from the funds we raise there.”