FOREST Lodge Garden Centre in Farnham, presented a cheque for £1,380 to The Ridgeway Community School which will go towards the purchase of a Smart Platform.

The Ridgeway Community School in Farnham, which provides an individualised education for pupils aged two to 19 years with a wide range of severe and multiple learning difficulties, would like to thank the staff and customers of Forest Lodge for their generosity.

The money which was collected over the Christmas period will go towards a Smart Platform, a mobility aid which allows for an individual’s wheelchair to be easily loaded onto the smart platform, instantly converting a wheelchair to a powered chair granting independence to the user.

Its proven technology helps children to thrive in school, giving them the tools to go on their own journeys of discovery.

A spokesperson for the school said: “It’s perfect for our pupils, as any of our wheelchair users can use it but with their own unique seating and controls. Movement will increase the levels of sensory feedback for our children while they remain safe and calm.

“It can help with the development of spatial awareness as well as provide an introduction to power wheelchairs at an early age. Mobility promotes cognitive, emotional and social development which in turn helps personal independence and a better quality of life and it helps our pupils to interact with adults and other children around the school.

“The children are eager to use the smart platform and get excited when they are told they are going on it. Please help us to support the purchase of this equipment which will give our pupils the freedom to explore their environment independently. A privilege which so many of us take for granted.”

Integral ramps allow any child’s wheelchair to be easily loaded onto the platform, and the child can then use a standard joystick for driving or follow a pre-determined route in complete safety.

It enables those with disabilities to explore independently, and for those with severe physical and mental disabilities it can be the key to unlocking the world around them.

The Smart platform gives children the ability to be able to stop and take a look around instead of being pushed from place to place with no opportunity to decide where they want to go.