Sussex woman wins national 'dream wheelchair' competition

A 23-year-old from Horsham has won first prize in a national competition to design a 'dream wheelchair'.

Hannah Bishop's award-winning creation can go underwater, climb stairs and fly through the air, helping her visit friends and go to the beach.

Having used a wheelchair from a young age, Hannah knew exactly what she wanted.

She says: "I had so many ideas it was nice to get them down on paper. Some of my ideas like wheelchair walking and submarine under water, that was because I kind of miss doing all that stuff even just like dipping your feet in the water."

The competition was organised by charity Whizz-Kidz that works to transform the lives of disabled children and young adults by providing the equipment, support and life skills they need to become more independent.

"Competitions like this are so important because young wheelchair users don't often get the opportunity to talk about their chair and as a wheelchair user my chair is a part of me and its part of my identity."

As part of her prize Hannah got a 3D print out of her model and is thinking about her next design.