Drive Decks Community Dream Story

Mary Rose Academy is an SEN school in Portsmouth, serving over 190 children with additional needs. 

We granted their Drive Deck dream to enable students who are wheelchair users to access independent travel, often for the first time in their life.  

Pictured above is Finlay, who is non-verbal and does not have any mobility in his limbs, yet he is now able to move on his own, using head movement, and we can tell by his smile how much this means to him! 

We met lots of other children at the dream launch who will benefit from our dream and we were spoilt with the amazing food they made, the cards and flowers they hand created.  The gratitude that the school and the students felt was very clear, and we were left with a sense of joy and wonder for the future possibilities that their dream will bring. 

We were also delighted to learn that his community dream goes beyond granting in-school mobility. To date, Finlay has been unable to access a motorised wheelchair as he does not meet the NHS requirements.  However, the school can now show that he is able to comprehend, respond and use his head to navigate movement, and as a result of our Drive Deck Finlay will be that one step closer to more independence and future mobility.

In a rainbow of opportunity that this community dream has brought to the school; this additional opportunity is surely the gold that highlights it all – a true moment of magic with lasting impact. 

Thank you to all of our #DreamMakers for making this happen, and positively impacting the lives of so many deserving children.  

If you know a community project that would benefit from our support, you can contact our team and make a referral here.

If you would like to help us help even more children and their local communities, then please consider donating so we can continue our vital work.

Donate Now