Coppull youngster shows wheelchairs can be a lot of fun as she wins Whizz-Kidz’s Dream Wheelchair

Nine-year-old Isabelle Jones, from Coppull, who has been in a wheelchair since the age of two, was the winner of the 12 and under category and came second overall with her design which she called Hero. Judges liked her ideas, which they described as ‘practical yet imaginative.’Her Hero design included an invisibility button and a ‘baddie’ sensor to protect her from any wrongdoing. The wheelchair also has a hosepipe to put out fires, a dog poo vacuum to clean up the streets and a cushion which pops out of she was to fall out.Isabelle also wanted to give treats to people, so using her pedal power, the wheelchair generated free ice cream and made toy aeroplanes to give to children. The wheelchair can also fit on a boat and can fly.Isabelle, who attends Coppull Primary School, said: “I am really pleased to have won. It shows I can invent things and be creative. I enjoyed meeting Tom Fletcher, as I have read his Christmas book, The Christmasaurus.” Her mum, Anne, added: “I am really proud of Isabelle and it was a special thing to go down to London and watch her getting her prize and being made a fuss of.“He child-like drawing was turned into a computer image, which was very clever.”As part of her prize, Isabelle received large photo images of her design, as well as a smart speaker and £100 gift voucher. She was presented her prize by Whizz-Kidz Patron Tom Fletcher, who said: “Each design showed that young disabled people want far more than just a set of wheels to move around in. “Some designs were wild and wacky, others were inspired and innovative but all of them showed so much imagination and creativity. Isabelle should be really proud for coming first in her age category.” Actress and campaigner Samantha Renke was another judge.She said: “The standard of designs was high and showed that every young person wants their wheelchair to be unique and different. There shouldn’t be a one size fits all’ approach to mobility. Isabelle’s design really stood out because it not only had fun features that only a nine-year-old would dare to dream of, but also some practical ones too. I loved her idea for a hoover that clears up dog poo out of your path.” Organised by disabled children’s charity Whizz-Kidz in partnership with Duchenne UK and People’s Postcode Lottery, the competition asked young disabled people nationwide to design the wheelchair of their dreams. It was run in partnership with the University of Edinburgh to research and develop new technology and enhance mobility equipment and was part of Wheels of Change, a £1m project funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery through its Dream Fund initiative.