Man with cerebral palsy to drive 500 miles on scooter to stop charity closure

A 43 year-old man with cerebral palsy is so grateful to the charity that helped him communicate with his children, he has proclaimed he will drive 500 miles on a mobility scooter to fundraise and halt its closure.

Throughout August, Jamie Preece, from Rotherham, will drive 500 miles on his TGA mobility scooter to raise money for the charity Communications Matters, which has been financially hit during the pandemic.

Mr Preece, who lives with his partner Emma and their two children, has movement and speech difficulties but was thankful that the charity introduced him to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). AAC uses picture boards and computer systems to help him communicate with his children.

Communication Matters supports people who have little or no clear speech by giving the best possible communication for people with complex needs.

However, like many charities during the pandemic, Communication Matters is facing an uncertain future and could close next year if urgent donations are not received.

Jamie Preece said: “Communication Matters will likely cease to exist next year – we cannot allow this to happen.

“So, I am going to spend August raising awareness and funds by driving my TGA Breeze S3 and S4 scooters for 500 miles”.

Mr Preece uses a Grid Pad 12 AAC device created by Smartbox, a UK-based assistive technology company.

The company is sponsoring him on his challenge, however, the 43-year-old has decided to complete his mammoth journey, without his vital communication device.

“I do not have my communication device on them [the scooters] so I will be going 500 miles without a voice”, Mr Preece said.

Mr Preece can travel 30 miles on one charge of his electric-powered scooter.

“I am swapping between scooters, charging each one in between journeys, so I can keep going all day to clock up loads of miles”.

Mr Preece has already smashed his own target to raise £1,000 to help Communication Matters so they can continue to help people across the UK with speech problems. To date (14 August) Mr Preece has raised £1,337.

His journey is being tracked on the Strava app and posted on Facebook.

Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects movement, posture and co-ordination.

Mr Preece added: “My TGA scooters are the best, they have changed my life,” he says. “Being able to get outdoors and enjoy the beautiful countryside near me massively helps my mental health.

“I have peace of mind when driving off into the middle of nowhere. By using both scooters I hope I can drive as far as possible and raise as much money as possible so please donate to my JustGiving page – the survival of Communication Matters is vital for so many people to continue communicating. I’m doing this for them.”

To donate to James Preece’s ‘500 miles without a voice’ challenge JustGiving page click here