COMPETITORS will put their game faces on to raise funds for a Wokingham resident.
Gravelley Bridge Air Rifle Shooting Range will host a charity clay shoot on Sunday, October 30, to help Nicola Mitchell, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), buy a power chair.
The event is open to shooters of all experience levels, including axe throwing for youngsters. Professional supervision will be on-hand.
Of the event, Woodley resident Nicola said: “I’m so, so excited. I needed to get my independence back. I needed to get my life back.
“My husband is a great clay pigeon shooter, so that’s where the idea came from.
“I’ve spoken to the organiser, Tim [Evans], and he says there will be lots of prizes.”
In 2016, Nicola was diagnosed with MS, having displayed no prior warning signs.
Her condition progressed quicker than she envisaged, forcing her to leave her full-time job as a retail manager. Nicola and her husband also used their savings to move from their previous home to a bungalow.
Now into her fourteenth week in hospital, she is determined to regain her freedom to move at will.
“I was so independent. I loved working, socialising and driving,” she explained. “Distance didn’t worry me, in fact, the further the better. Giving my licence up shook me to the core.
“Having a wheelchair accessible vehicle that my husband has to drive stopped me popping out any time, anywhere, really hurt.”
The primary purpose of the fundraiser is to help Nicola buy a power chair, with her current wheelchair no longer meeting her changing needs.
With her condition deteriorating, an occupational therapist has also advised her purchasing a chair which meets her current requirements may not be sufficient in the future.
She is searching for a power chair which allows her to sit comfortably for almost the entire day, and will give her the mobility to go to work or interact with her community without worrying about getting there without her husband.
Nicola believes the purchase would allow her husband to take time away from his caring duties, as well as give herself much-needed time alone.
Depending on assessment results, Nicola will be looking at a second-hand power chair ranging from £3,000 to £10,000.
A portion of donations made on the day will also go to the Berkshire MS Therapy Centre at Bradbury House.
As a previous service user, Nicola was full of praise for the centre and described the staff as a ‘great source of support’.
The centre, which is located just off Oxford Road, offers various therapies for those with MS, such as: physiotherapy, oxygen treatment and social lunch clubs for carers.
Nicola also set up a GoFundMe page, where 40 supporters have already contributed. In July, she received donations from two charities which granted a total of £2,825.
The clay shoot takes place at 9.30am.
Those wishing to donate should visit: www.gofundme.com/f/to-regain-my-independence
