The smile on Imogen Ashwell-Lewis' face says it all! The 10-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, has been able to surf through the waves for the first time thanks to a specially-made board.
It is the latest piece of equipment that has been designed for the girl from Caldicot, Monmouthshire, by a team from University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) to help her take part in a series of challenges.
Thanks them, Imogen has been able to climb mountains, take part in triathlons, and even go horse riding.
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In the latest venture, Dr Ross Head and his team at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s Cerebra Innovation Centre (CIC) have adapted a pink surfboard for Imogen, so that with a little help she can ride the waves just like everyone else.
The ethos of CIC is simple – if children can dream big, they can do big. The work undertaken by the CIC team ensures that children have the opportunity to achieve their goals and to participate in activities from surfing to horse riding - and even take part in triathlons.
Imogen's smile says it all.
Dr Head said: “We chose to adapt existing boards to show that it is really easy and that children can then choose their own board, colour, brand, just like anyone else, and with a small adaption they can hit the surf.”
Imogen’s mum, Catherine Ashwell-Lewis, said: “We are so grateful and thankful. Imogen had an amazing time and is completely in love with the pink board, it’s so much easier than the prone board she’s been using up until now.”
It’s the latest in a series of projects undertaken by CIC to help Imogen, which have included bespoke horse-riding helmets and have also enabled her to take part in triathlon events and even climb Pen-y-fan.
She was six when she conquered the mountain in the Brecon Beacons using a modified four-wheeled downhill bike. Read more about that climb here.
In addition to her personal achievement, Imogen’s challenge aimed to raise awareness of the charity’s work with families who have children with brain conditions.
Dr Head and the team develop logical, innovative, and fun solutions for children with brain conditions. Their designs aim to reduce some of the social stigma attached to disabilities by making not only functional but also beautiful products for amazing young people.
Some of their products are ‘one-off’ bespoke designs, others are made in small batches, and some are designed with the commercial market in mind.
The Cerebra Innovation Centre is a collaborative partnership between Cerebra and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David with the team based at the University’s Alex building in Swansea.
CIC is also part of ATiC – the Assistive Technologies Innovation Centre within the University – and has a demonstrable track record in providing practice-based research and development to support medical companies and healthcare-related charities. ATiC’s work is primarily human-centred and innovation-led which enables researchers to collaborate with businesses to develop creative interventions that improve health and wellbeing.
It is designed to support research collaborations in the life-sciences across Wales and builds upon UWTSD’s record of delivery in developing Research and Innovation excellence in the field of Health and Social Care.
For more information on the charity Cerebra, visit here.
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