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Beach wheelchairs

I decided last summer to contribute some of our annual Greek olive harvest towards the purchase of a specially designed beach wheelchair, which enables people who cannot walk to go onto beaches. Ordinary wheelchairs just sink into the sand. I had the idea when I took my 86-year-old mother to Summerleaze Beach in Bude, Cornwall. She was able, through the hire of such a chair, to enjoy a day on the beach, something usually denied to her because she cannot walk very well now. Maggie Coltart, the Beach Office manager at Summerleaze, explained to me how useful such a chair was, but she added that they had only one, as they were very expensive, but that they were trying to raise money to buy a second chair, as demand in the summer was always high.

My plan was to bring back from Greece as many litres of our olive oil as I could, and to sell it to colleagues at Clifton College in order to buy a much-needed second chair for Summerleaze Beach. The response from colleagues was immediate and overwhelming. Within 2 days I had sold 10kg of olives, and within 3 weeks I had sold all of the 200 litres of oil which I had brought back with me from Greece. Around 100 colleagues bought the oil, and it was very pleasing to me that so many came back for more, telling me how good it was and quite unlike the oil which they bought in the shops in England. The money raised was enough for me to buy a chair outright, and this is what I chose to do, rather than donate the money to a general fund where the target may be rather vague.

On 27th May I travelled with my daughters down to Bude and presented the chair to Maggie. She had no idea that we were coming, and she was surprised and delighted in equal measure. She told me that it was so unusual for such a gift to be donated that she intended to put a piece about it in the local press. In fact, she said that if she had known about it, she would have arranged for the local TV to be there when I arrived, as there had been coverage on the local TV news even for smaller gifts and donations. But this was less important for me than to know that, with the help of so many colleagues at Clifton College, we had made it possible for the disabled to enjoy a simple pleasure which we tend to take for granted.

The whole experience has made me keen to repeat the "Oil for Charity" idea, and already many colleagues who bought the oil last year have asked me if I will be bringing some back this year. The answer is a definite "yes", and I shall bring back more of our eating olives as well this time round, as they were very popular but in short supply. I have not yet decided on my charitable target this year, but certainly in September both olives and oil will be for sale again, by which time I shall have decided on a particular charitable target.

I should like to thank all of those colleagues who participated in this fund-raising event. The photos show that their contributions have led to a successful and tangible conclusion, and I hope that we shall meet with similar success next term.

Bill Huntington

3 June 2008

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