'She doesn't get another childhood': The lives on hold waiting for wheelchairs

More than a thousand disabled children across the UK are waiting for wheelchairs and mobility equipment that could transform their lives, Whizz Kidz say.

The charity, which helps wheelchair users up to 25 years old, has been forced to close its specialist wheelchairs waitlist for the first time in its 35-year history.

They say escalating costs and squeezed NHS budgets are creating a "huge demand" for their service, leading to long delays.

NHS England says it's working with local healthcare providers to deliver better services and NHS Scotland says it's committed to ensuring vital services were protected.

The Department for Health Northern Ireland says by the end of August, the regional service had delivered 87% of all wheelchair categories within 13 weeks.

Whizz Kidz pointed to a number of factors for the increase in demand for their services.

The charity says NHS wheelchair services were implementing a stricter criteria whilst facing squeezed budgets.

It also said costs were escalating across the industry. The average specialist wheelchair costs £4,800, according to the charity, with inflation continuing to push up the cost of equipment.

Sarah Pugh, CEO of Whizz Kidz called the situation" a national crisis".

"Behind every statistic is a child missing school trips, missing playtime with friends, or living in pain," she says.

"This cannot be acceptable in the UK in 2025. We urgently need the public's support to reopen the list - because childhood can't wait."

Whizz Kidz has launched the Childhood Can't Wait appeal, to raise £750,000 to reopen the waitlist and cut waiting times.

Like most teenagers her age, Ivy loves spending days in the park with her friends, shopping and gaming.

But unlike most teenagers, she relies on her friends and family to help her out.

Ivy has single ventricle circulation, a life-limiting heart condition, which means only one side of her heart is working.

Ivy, is able to walk, but only very short distances. It means she's not eligible for a powered chair, but does have a manual wheelchair from the NHS.

However the exhaustion caused by her condition means she's unable to propel herself and relies on others to push her.

"I have to rely on my mum to drive me to school—and it's only a 15-minute walk," Ivy says.

"I have to have my friends push my manual wheelchair around from lesson to lesson...It's not fair."

"I get left out when I'm in the wheelchair because obviously I can't take myself around."

Ivy had hoped starting secondary school in 2024 would provide her with more freedom, which is why her mum Emma applied to Whizz Kidz for an electrical attachment for Ivy's wheelchair to make life easier.

They applied in January that year and are still waiting.

Emma acknowledges that they are not in high need, but says the attachment "would just enhance her [Ivy's] life massively, to not have to rely on somebody else all the time".

There's also a mental and physical toll on the family.

"It gets quite heavy pushing a wheelchair around for 12 hours at a time - your shoulders and your back ache," Emma says.

Emma's ultimate goal for Ivy is to live life like any normal teenager and enjoy her life without constraints.

"It would hugely enhance our lives and give Ivy that independence... we would have to make some real big sacrifices to be able to afford the electrical attachment on our own," Emma says.