North Berwick Trust today supports a myriad of local organisations and charities with educational, recreational, cultural, sporting and conservation activities. But not many people know that the Trust sometimes also supports individuals. One of the Trust’s aims is simply ‘to help those in need in our community’.
North Berwick Trust has strict funding criteria of course, in order to guide decision-making and ensure that the grants programme is run for the benefit of the whole community, but the Trust does also consider applications from individuals in need.
Fraser, one of our individual grant applicants, kindly agreed to share his story.
Fraser, 33 years old, was born and has lived his whole life in North Berwick. He attended Law Primary and North Berwick High School being one of the first pupils with significant additional support needs to attend these schools.
Fraser contracted E Coli 0157 from an unknown source just before his third birthday. This had devastating consequences. As a result of multi-organ failure, the previously healthy 3 year old developed dystonic cerebral palsy and chronic renal failure. He is now quadriplegic and suffers from severe and frequent spasms, neuromuscular kyphosis and restrictive lung disease, the latter necessitating overnight non-invasive ventilation.
The severity of Fraser’s condition means that he requires a specialised wheelchair which can lie flat and also ‘stand’; a standard issue wheelchair from Wheelchair Services does not meet his needs.
While in primary school his first specialised wheelchair was jointly purchased by Education, Health and Social Work. Since leaving education, subsequent chairs have been provided by a combination of fundraising and approaching charities which help specifically with wheelchair provision. However, most – if not all – of these charities have an age restriction which Fraser has now well exceeded.
Fraser needs to change position frequently which he can do himself using a finger and thumb. The need to move position so often combined with Fraser’s muscle tone means that the wheelchairs have been lasting around 5 years. Indeed, despite botox injections to reduce the muscle spasms he has fractured the reinforced steel backrests on multiple occasions.
In 2020 North Berwick Trust was the main funder for Fraser’s specialised wheelchair. During 2024 it became obvious that due to the heavy usage of the wheelchair and the number of repairs, the current chair was nearing the end of its life. Fundraising got underway and pledges were made from several local charities. However the purchase of a new chair could not have been possible without the extremely generous funding from NB Trust.
Fraser’s mum, Fiona said “It’s very sad that Wheelchair Services can’t provide for those with the most needs. It’s also sad that in terms of wheelchair charities once you are over a certain age you aren’t supposed to need a specialised wheelchair anymore. Life is hard enough living with a severe disability without having the added worry of wondering how you are going to renew your essential equipment.
With NB Trust coming to the rescue a weight was lifted off our shoulders because it is quite honestly impossible to imagine how Fraser could survive without this wheelchair. I certainly couldn’t care for him at home on my own without it. Hearing that funding was available was a lifeline. There are no words to sufficiently express our gratitude.”
Professor Hamish Wallace, Chair of North Berwick Trust, said: ‘We were delighted to be able to offer the majority of funding for a new power wheelchair for Fraser. If you are an individual in need, and cannot source funding from more traditional sources, please reach out to North Berwick Trust’.
