Rochdale Cashino gives Daniel Tewilde-Hagos his independence

Daniel Tewilde-Hagos enjoying his powered wheelchair

There’ll be no more waiting lists for Daniel Tewilde-Hagos after the youngster was presented with a special powered wheelchair to boost his mobility thanks to the joint fundraising efforts of customers and staff at Cashino Rochdale.

The eight-year old, muscular dystrophy sufferer and family had been told repeatedly by the NHS that they’d have to be rehoused before he would be given a wheelchair, but despite waiting for almost two years, they still live in a home with no wheelchair access.

Daniel, who lives with his mum Akberee, dad Meharenna, 14-year old sister Lwam and 12-year old sister Lidia, in Manchester, is severely affected by his condition. He is able to walk short distances but tires easily and falls many times.

Daniel’s mum, Akberee said: “We are so thankful to Cashino and CHIPS for the generous donation. Unfortunately, our home is not wheelchair accessible, which means the NHS won’t provide us one. We are on the waiting list to be rehoused but the waiting seems endless, which really is not fair on my son.

“This will change Daniel’s life for the good and he is so excited to start getting out and about. He will keep his new wheelchair at school, and will hopefully be able to easily interact with his friends and be more independent. It will also mean that he won’t be so tired in class and, most importantly, not be reliant on someone to push him around”.

Cashino’s venue manager, Lorraine Russell, said: “Daniel is an upbeat little boy and so deserving of this chair. Daily life is often hard for him, so being able to raise money and make his life easier makes all our fundraising worthwhile.”

Co-founder of the CHIPS charity, Linda Lindsay said: “It is so important for CHIPS that our donors see the results of their hard work and we try to ensure that all the recipients are local to where the funds have been raised.

"Beacon Bingo and parent company Praesepe have been amazing and to date have donated a massive £500,000, allowing CHIPS to provide more than 100 powered wheelchairs up and down the country.”

Cashino, which operates 170 adult gaming centres across the country, is one of the main fundraisers for CHIPS, a charity set up on behalf of the gaming industry, which aims to provide specialised powered wheelchairs for children with severe mobility problems.

In total, CHIPS has raised over £1,500,000 and presented over 450 wheelchairs to children throughout the UK.