A not-for-profit group is to provide wheelchairs that can be used on the beach by groups that include people with mobility issues during visits coastal resorts of West Flanders. Currently some municipal and city authorities along the coast already provide beach wheelchair to individual visitors that request them.
Not-for-profit group to provide beach wheelchairs to allow visitors with mobility issues to make the most of a visit to our coastal resorts
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Now the not-for-profit group 4Example is to expand a scheme it ran previously in Blankenberge to all the municipalities along the West Flemish coast. The scheme provides specially adapted wheelchairs for groups visiting the coast. 4Example’s Tarik Houbrechts told VRT News that "During the summer months people will be able to get in touch with our colleagues from Inter’s Zon Zee Zorgeloos (Sun Sea Carefree) project. We are aiming for groups from, for example, residential care homes and other institutions”.
For 4 years between 2021 and the end of last year the not-for-profit group 4Example hired out beach wheelchairs on Blankenberge beach. The agreement between the local authority and 4Example came to an end on 31 December 2024. Now 4Example has decided to go mobile. "From now on we will be going on tour. This will enable more people with mobility issues to enjoy a carefree day on the beach, in Blanckenberge or elsewhere”.
“We are working jointly with the people from Beachmobility, a company that already rents out beach wheelchairs. In the future we will go to Koksijde beach, for example. There is a residential care home nearby. We will go on site and take a look at what they already have and see what we can do to ensure that everyone there has a nice afternoon”.
4 Example also hopes to organise pop-up events in the resorts along the coast.