Cerebral Palsy sufferer Jamie begins 500-mile mobility scooter challenge to stop charity closure

Jamie Preece, aged 43, from Rotherham, who has cerebral palsy, is attempting to drive 500 miles on his beloved TGA mobility scooter to raise money to help charity Communications Matters avoid clos ure.

Jamie lives in Kilnhurst with his part ner Emma and their two children. He has movement and speech difficulties so uses Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to talk to his family and friends. AAC includes a range of solutions such as picture boards and sophisticated computer-based systems that help people communicate if speech is a struggle. This system was introduced to Jamie through Communication Matters which made a tremendously positive impact on his life.

However, like many charities currently, Communication Matters is facing an uncertain future and could close next year if urgent donations are not received. This has resulted in Jamie deciding to drive 500 miles on his TGA Breeze S4 and Breeze S3 in aid of the charity with a fundraising campaign called ‘500 miles without a voice’. He aims to raise £1,000 or more to help Communication Matters so they can continue to help people across the UK with speech problems.

“Communication Matters will likely cease to exist next year – we cannot allow this to happen,” Jamie said. “I am a communication device user and the charity means a lot to me and others in the AAC community. So, I am going to spend August raising awareness and funds by driving my TGA Breeze S3 and S4 scooters for 500 miles. I do not have my communication device on them so I will be going 500 miles without a voice.

“I absolutely love riding my TGA mobility scooters as they go off-road and are very sturdy and comfortable,” he continued. “I have the GT versions with wider rear wheels on the back and can do 30-miles on one charge.

"I am swapping between scooters, charging each one in between journeys, so I can keep going all day to clock up loads of miles. All my rides are being tracked on the Strava app and posted on Facebook with links to my Just Giving page.”

To support Jamie visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jamies500mileswithoutavoice

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