Gowrings Photo Competition




For Immediate Release

24th September 08
 
Gowrings Mobility & Disabled Photographers’ Society launch national photography competition
 
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Disabled Photographers’ Society, Gowrings Mobility, the UK’s leading supplier and manufacturer of wheelchair accessible vehicles, has launched a national competition to find the photograph that best captures the benefits and embodies the feeling a wheelchair passenger vehicle gives to its user.
 
Cars adapted to accommodate wheelchair users are vital for disabled people to enjoy active lives. Thousands of families carry on struggling with standard cars, folding the wheelchair into the boot, lifting the wheelchair user in and out of the car, and repeating this on the return journey. The whole process of getting out can be heavy and tiresome, and as a result, many wheelchair users end up staying indoors to avoid the difficulty. 
 
Gowrings Mobility wheelchair accessible vehicles are converted so that a wheelchair user can easily enter the vehicle via a ramp at the rear, and can then travel in the comfort of their own wheelchair.
 
The freedom and flexibility that a wheelchair accessible vehicle provides changes lives and promotes a spontaneous lifestyle. Maureen Proudfoot, a recent customer of Gowrings Mobility said “I began to dislike using our standard car; it meant I could only use my manual wheelchair. I couldn’t go where I wanted to go and it always meant I had to be pushed. We don’t worry about going out now we have our wheelchair accessible vehicle, it’s simply a case of ramp down, straight into the car with my electric wheelchair and away we go – it’s that simple! We go on holiday to Dorset three times a year now, something we never could have done with a standard vehicle.”
 
As seen in the current Gowrings Mobility advertising campaign, ‘Go where you want to Go, Do what you want to Do’, the real-life benefits of owning a wheelchair accessible vehicle are strongly emphasised. They show a range of activities that wheelchair users can enjoy now that they have a wheelchair passenger vehicle, such as visiting family, shopping and going on trips, as well as more inspirational activities such as paragliding. Gowrings Mobility and the Disabled Photographers’ Society are launching a photography competition to capture that ‘Go where you want to Go, Do what you want to Do’ feeling that a wheelchair accessible vehicle brings. Entrants can be individuals, families or from an organisation such a charity, care home, special school or any other organisation that uses a wheelchair accessible vehicle. The photographs will be judged by a panel and the image that best embodies this feeling will win.
 
Shirley Britton FDPS ARPS  Chairman of The Disabled Photographers Society (DPS) said “We’re really excited to be involved in this competition and are delighted that Gowrings Mobility is working with us in such a positive way to celebrate our 40th. The DPS exists to encourage people with disabilities to take up or continue with their hobby or profession of photography, and so getting wheelchair users and their families involved in capturing that ‘Go where you want to Go, Do what you want to Do’ feeling is fantastic. We’re looking forward to seeing the results!”
 
The Disabled Photographer Society is a charity founded in 1968, after a group of photographers in Richmond invited a group of severely disabled ex-servicemen from the Royal Star and Garter Home to join their meetings and share their interest. The DPS provides a number of solutions including offering advice or help with modifications to cameras, and advising on, or supplying supports so that disabled people can use cameras and take photographs. The charity also keeps in touch with members through its website: www.disabledphotographers.co.uk and a quarterly newsletter.
 
The winner will receive the fantastic E420 D-SLR Camera courtesy of Olympus, worth over £350! Second prize will win the fantastic Olympus SP-570 UZ digital camera, and third prize the Olympus Mju 1030SW digital camera worth over £240.
 
A maximum of two photographs per entrant can be submitted either as digital files in JPEG format (1024x768 pixels) or prints in colour, or black and white. Images should be emailed to info@gowringsmobility.co.uk or posted to: Gowrings Mobility Photography Competition, Gowrings Mobility Ltd, FREEPOST, Newbury, Berks, RG14 5ZW.
 
 
 
-Ends-
NOTES TO EDITORS
Issued by: Jo Tucker, Marketing Assistant
Gowrings Mobility
T: 01635 574409
E: jtucker@gowringsmobility.co.uk
 
Gowrings Mobility is the UK’s leading manufacturer and supplier of wheelchair passenger vehicles. Gowrings Mobility converts vehicles so that a wheelchair user can remain seated in their wheelchair whilst travelling as a passenger. Based in Newbury, Gowrings Mobility operates nationwide through the provision of a free test drive and demonstration service, enabling customers to test a vehicle in their own local and familiar environment. For more information, contact Lo-Call 0845 608 8020 or at www.gowringsmobility.co.uk