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The Coventry-based charity that’s helping disabled people embrace life
A cash boost will help a Coventry based charity support even more people. Every four hours in the UK someone is paralysed by a spinal cord injury according to UK’s leading national charity Aspire.
They are one of seven charities from across the country to share in a fund of almost £1.2m from Scottish Power Foundation for projects tackling a range of issues, from cost-of-living support, to promoting diversity and inclusion, raising awareness of the ongoing climate and biodiversity crises and addressing skills and attainment gaps in society.
Aspire’s aim is to help people with practical help from spinal cord injury with a wide range of services covering housing and technology, work and guidance.
Read more: Iconic Coventry bar to close next month – but it might not be the end
The charity has and still is helping many people who are going through difficulties and two people shared their experiences for CoventryLive.
Sarah (not her real name) spoke of how the living advisors helped her when she was at her lowest.
She said: “I met Alex [one of Aspire’s Independent Living Advisors] whilst I was in the Spinal Centre; he’d regularly be about so I’d seen him around and other patients had mentioned him. I spent a lot of time talking to him and I found him very personable. It was great speaking to someone who had lived the experience of being in a wheelchair.
She added: “I went through occasions of mixed emotions. I might be upbeat some days, then other days, when I was struggling and couldn’t see how it would all work, I’d have times when I’d be down and my confidence would be low. Like a lot of people, I was still upset, angry, and going through the grieving process.
Another person called Rosie (not her real name) shared her experience of how the charity helped her get back into doing normal activities.
“It was great meeting Kevin, the Aspire Advisor who helped me, he was always cheerful and encouraged me to get involved in lots of things and I never would have tried sports without his encouragement. Whenever I had a difficulty, such as sore hands, I knew I could ask him for advice” She said.
Aspire is the only charity based in/working in Coventry that the Scottish Power Foundation is supporting this year.
Melanie Hill, Director of social projects and sector education from Scottish Power said many local communities are benefitting from the support and it’s making a difference.
She said: “This is an incredibly exciting year for us, with so many amazing projects benefitting from our support and making a difference within their local communities. The real impact these initiatives will have for so many people can’t be understated, and I can’t wait to see what amazing work these charities will continue to do throughout the year.”
Alex Rankin, Director of Services at Aspire told me that spinal cord injuries can happen to anyone at any time and there is no clear demographic.
‘’You could be a 19-year-old male or female, rich or poor, it can affect anyone. When we are meeting with people in the hospitals after they have been injured there is no set person. Our advisors have to be there for everyone’’.
Asking him how he thinks the grant from Scottish Power will help the charity he said: ‘’It’s amazing, it is going to allow us to pay for the independent living services in aid of the UK’s spinal cord injury centres and will mean our advisors will be there for people who are newly injured and have a load of questions that no one will be there to answer’’.
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