‘Independence is the biggest thing’ – how our Christmas appeal will change lives

Margot and mum Laura found Whizz Kidz around three years ago (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

Her beaming smile says it all — six-year-old Margot Jones-Billington is in her element as she shows off her powered wheelchair from Whizz Kidz. The children’s  charity stepped in to provide the vital equipment three years ago after the schoolgirl was denied one on the NHS because she can walk very short distances. Mum Laura, 34, said: “She wants to be like everybody else and do everything herself, so we were amazed when she was given the powered chair.

“Independence is the biggest thing for her. She can now drive it herself and go wherever she wants to go, do what she wants to do. She’s less reliant on us and she gets to be more like a typical six-year-old. We can go on family days out and not have to worry about whether Margot can access things.”

Express campaign Give the Gift of Childhood by donating to Whizz Kidz

The Express Give the Gift of Childhood Christmas appeal is raising funds to support Whizz Kidz as it battles huge demand and rising costs.

The charity was forced to close its waiting list earlier this year for the first time in 35 years, but the incredible generosity of our readers has raised hopes that it could be reopened in 2026.

Margot, of Northampton, is one of thousands of children who have benefitted from personalised, life-changing equipment.

She suffered a brain haemorrhage when she was 20 months old, resulting in a stroke. She now lives with an acquired brain injury and weakness on one side of her body.

Laura said: “She spent a long time in intensive care and six months doing rehab at hospital. Because of the stroke, she lost the ability to move. She couldn’t sit up, roll over, walk. It was really tough.

“Given the size of her bleed, she wasn’t meant to survive but she did. She had brain surgery and eventually she was discharged back home.”

Margot’s parents approached the NHS for a wheelchair when she was two. But after an assessment, they were told that she could not have one because she was managing to pull herself around the house.

Although Margot can walk short distances while wearing a supportive leg brace, she needs support for anything more.

Laura said: “It’s such a shame because if Margot was an adult and had a stroke, they’d give her a wheelchair. But because she’s a child that has had a stroke, there just isn’t anything there for her.”

Margot chats to Whizz Kidz staff Marja and John (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

The lack of equipment meant Margot sometimes missed family days out. Laura added: “It got to the point where I’d had to stay home with her because she wouldn’t be able to do it, and she’d get so tired and upset when she couldn't access things that everybody else can.”

Everything changed when the family got in touch with Whizz Kidz.

Laura said of the charity: “It should be more well known. Until your child needs a wheelchair, you’ve got no idea about Whizz Kidz. The work they do makes such a huge difference to children’s lives.”

The Express met Margot at a pop-up clinic in a community centre in Hemel Hempstead, where she was having her chair adjusted to ensure a good fit as she grows.

Also in attendance was Sophia Shahzad, 13, who dropped in to have her chair adjusted. She received her first Whizz Kidz wheelchair seven years ago, followed by a larger one in the summer of 2022.

Sophia has mitochondria disease, a condition that impairs the ability of cells to produce energy. It means she cannot walk and gets tired easily.

She uses a manual wheelchair but also has an electric wheel which can be attached for an extra boost.

Sophia has a manual chair with an electric wheel add-on (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

Archie Ilsley, 13, also uses an electric add-on wheel sometimes. He was born with lymphoedema, a condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissues.

The teenager received his first Whizz Kidz wheelchair aged five and is now on to his second one, a lightweight model that is easy to self-propel.

Archie said: “The wheelchair helps a lot with getting around school and other places. Whizz Kidz have done a lot to make it bigger and help me when I need it.

“Obviously people have different needs depending on what problems they have. Whizz Kidz is good, especially for families that don’t have too much money because they will give this for free and help a child.”

Mum Joanne, 48, said Archie previously had an NHS wheelchair but it was clunky, heavy and one-size-fits-all.

She added: “It wouldn’t have given him the freedom a Whizz Kidz one does. We have always wanted Archie to be like his non-disabled peers and be able to keep up with them on his own.

“With a Whizz Kidz wheelchair he is able to do this and doesn’t need an adult to push him around. At lot of the time his teachers need to ask him to slow down!”

Archie, right, said his wheelchair helps with getting around at school (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

Remembering the day when her son picked up his first wheelchair, Joanne said: “It was amazing. Archie had the biggest smile on his face and was fully involved in the process. He was able to pick his own colour which he thought was really special.”

Whizz Kidz mobility therapist Marja van Dijk and engineer John Bearman were on hand at the clinic to check the fit of every chair and make adjustments.

Joanne, of Luton in Bedfordshire, added: “Since our first visit eight years ago we still see the same team which is brilliant as they get to know the children and see them grow.

“They go above and beyond, and you can see the fulfilment they get after measuring and fitting each child with equipment for them to hand it over and see them dash about and be independent.

Our appeal has raised almost £90,000 so far — you can help us smash the £100,000 mark before Christmas and change even more lives.