Raised cash helps pay for wheelchair

A woman with Down's syndrome is sitting pretty in a new wheelchair - thanks to a �3,300 fundraising effort.And a �1,000 cheque from the North Norfolk News's aerial photographer has helped raise extra cash for an electronic keyboard so she can indulge her love of music.

A woman with Down's syndrome is sitting pretty in a new wheelchair - thanks to a �3,300 fundraising effort.

And a �1,000 cheque from the North Norfolk News's aerial photographer has helped raise extra cash for an electronic keyboard so she can indulge her love of music.

Sandra Wolfe, 53, also has dementia and lives in a North Walsham care home because her parents Peter and Beryl, both 76 of Cromer, are visually impaired and unable to look after her at home.

After social services refused to pay for a �2,000 specialist wheelchair, the family began fundraising to help cover the costs themselves - and raised enough cash to cover the cost of sheepskin seat covers, footwarmers and other equipment to help keep Miss Wolfe comfortable.

When news of the appeal appeared in March, Mike Page, whose photos regularly appear in the paper, kicked off the donations by giving the family �1,000 from the sale of his photographs.

Thelma Lowe, a family friend who coordinated fundraising efforts and ran an Easter fair in April, said they had been overwhelmed with generosity.

'When we had that first call offering �1,000 I thought it was a hoax,' she said. 'People are so generous. I just want to thank everyone who helped out.

'Sandra can go downstairs now and eat with the other people in the home. She doesn't have a lot of speech any more, but she's very proud and pleased with the chair. It's made such a difference to her life.'