'Beach wheelchairs are life-changing for my daughter'

A day at the beach is a great way to enjoy the sunshine and cool off from the scorching heat.

But for wheelchair users, their families and carers, it's not always that easy - and can be something they try to avoid.

Mum Catriona lives in Felixstowe, Suffolk, just a short walk from the beach.

But spending a day by the sea with her daughter, Leila, who has severe developmental delays, is a rarity because of the nine-year-old's need for a wheelchair.

"It can be quite difficult to leave her wheelchair up on the prom, and then try and carry her down, so we don't tend to do [go to the beach] very often," said Catriona.

"It's a massive challenge a lot of the time. I hope someone I'm with will go 'I'll carry her' because I'm not that strong anymore and she is getting bigger.

"But she does like the beach when we do get down here and it's lovely just to see her enjoying herself."

As well as the risk to Catriona, she says there is also the fear that Leila herself could get hurt.

"There's a bit of a drop down onto the beach, then I've got to carry her over the stones or let her crawl, which obviously can hurt her knees," she added.

Figures show that 20.6% of people in east Suffolk are registered disabled, some of whom, like Leila, may have had difficulty accessing the beach.

To try to change that, East Suffolk Council has made special beach wheelchairs free-to-hire in Felixstowe, Southwold and Lowestoft.

They have bigger wheels to get over stones and sand more easily and are available between 1 May and 31 October, or other dates on request.

The chairs are stored in lockers and can be accessed using a pin code sent to the user once a request has been approved by the council.

Sarah Whitelock, a councillor who is the cabinet member for communities, culture, leisure and tourism, said the beach wheelchairs enabled "people to access our beautiful beaches more easily".

She added: "We are committed to providing welcoming, accessible seafront spaces for everyone, including our beach boardwalk, accessible outdoor gym equipment and changing places toilets in Lowestoft, as well as our accessible beach chalets at the seashore village in Felixstowe."

For Catriona and Leila, it is "life-changing".

"This is a much easier option and something hopefully we can do a bit more often now," she told the BBC.

"We can leave her chair in the locker, so I know that's safe, and then there's a nice ramp down onto the beach as well which is really helpful, and it moves really easily over the stones, which is great."

With schools breaking up for the summer soon, Catriona says the beach wheelchairs mean many more opportunities for days out with Leila.

"It's always hard to find things to do with Leila where she's going to be safe and not hurt herself," she added.

"So, hopefully we can do this a bit more often and sit on the beach for a while."

Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? Contact us below.

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.