People and Personalities

In June 2009, Martin will attempt to cross England on the Hadrian’s Wall Cycle Route from Bowness-on-Solway in the west to Tynemouth in the east, 100 miles from coast to coast. 

Martin hopes to complete the journey in seven days

He will spend three to four hours in the ‘saddle’ each day, covering between 15 and 20 miles. The journey should take him seven days. Martin will require a full eight hours on his respirator each night to recover enough strength for the following day’s adventure.

A journey like this clearly requires a very special type of wheelchair, and that's where Milton Keynes based company, Molten Rock, come in.

Chris Swift from the Company, himself a tetraplegic, together with a group of wheelchair users tired of sharing their lives with equipment that accentuated their disabilities, instead of reflecting their lifestyles, interests and abilities, started developing a wheelchair which embodied their adventurous, outdoor spirit.

Molten Rock, has now developed the Boma, a state of the art off-road wheelchair -the perfect machine for Martin’s Coast to Coast Challenge.

The chair can cope with all terrains

"The idea was to make a product that was focused on the outdoor living, rather then something that would accentuate someone's disability" Chris told BBC Three Counties Radio presenter Helen Legh.

"A lot of the technology involved is mountain bike technology, which even allows the chair to travel quite literally up and down stairs if necessary!  It can travel across a ploughed field, but at the same time it's very light and also very portable."

Chris went on to explain: "The chair is operated by handlebars similar to those on a motorbike. The controls are easily adaptable to each individual's exact requirements, as are the position of the seat and footrests.

"Don't think of it as a wheelchair - think of it as a four-wheel mountain bike."

And is Chris tempted to join Martin on his Coast to Coast challenge?

"It sounds like a fantastic trip!" said an enthusiastic Chris!"