Tom takes on the beach!

On Tuesday it was a beautiful sunny day so we all decided to go for a walk along Southsea beach. We come here a lot with Tom as the promenade is so great for the wheelchair. Nala the dog loves the walk along the beach and she loves swimming/sitting in the sea (she is often mistaken for a hippo). Normally I walk along the path with Tom and Tom's mum takes Nala down to the waters edge. Not today, today we decided to get Tom down to the waters edge so we could all walk together.

Southsea is a stone beach with the odd bit of sand. The stones make it very hard to walk with a wheelchair. Whilst we were sat having a hot drink and putting Tom's lunch on we saw that there was a wheelchair sign leading to a path onto the beach. We saw it was a path leading onto the beach made from a thick netting material. We walked along the path but it only led us a little way onto the beach and then the rest of the way were stones. We had got this far so we were going to get to the waters edge!

Tom's mum and I each took a handle and we managed to reverse Tom onto the beach, at the bottom of the beach it was hard sand so the chair was easy to push along.

This was a very beautiful moment for us. Somethings seem impossible when you have a wheelchair, like conquering a stone beach, but they really aren't, they just take some willpower (and muscle power).

The sea air is so good for everybody. We believe it really helps with Tom's chest but more than that the sea air makes everybody feel good, especially Nala the dog!

For us Tom being able to walk with his Mummy and dog along the waters edge hearing the waves crashing against the stones and watching the boats come in and out is really something very special. These are things that most of us will take for granted day in and day out but for Tom this was magical. He was so happy and we even managed to write his name in the sand! Maybe next time we will build a sandcastle.

These paths onto the beach make it so much easier for wheelchairs but I wish they were longer and got us further onto the beach. Over the next few months I am going to get in touch with the council and advise them as to how they could make the beach more accessible. The beach is such a simple pleasure and it should be able to be enjoyed by many more.

The beach day has got us all ready and excited for the summer! We hope you are enjoying the sunshine as much as us.