'Jersey helped me get my independence back'

A woman with dwarfism says Jersey has "rapidly all contributed to get my independence back" after a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Caroline Fry, 52, raised more than £6,000 to help pay for a new specialist vehicle she said she needed to drive around after her previous vehicle stopped working.

She said: "Maybe this will encourage other people to speak up and seek support... I have so much gratitude to everybody that's pitched in to help something because it's so important to me to get my life back on the road."

Fry said she planned to collect the new vehicle next Monday after its expected arrival in the island.

She said: "My old van was life-changing for me…. So once that had gone I felt like I'd lost some of my independence."

Fry has also faced growing mobility issues after being diagnosed with spinal stenosis in 2023, which is narrowing of the tunnels in the spine which contain the nerves or spinal cord, according to the NHS.

Following surgery, Fry said she struggled to walk and now relied on a mobility scooter for short-range transportation, but her new vehicle would allow her to get further afield.

She said she would be able to drive her scooter into her new vehicle so she could drive that, and the combination of both would allow her to get about short and long distances independently.

Fry's friend, Jonathan Beaty, set up the fundraising page after she told him about the challenges she had been facing.

He said: "Some people were extremely generous... I think islanders are great at supporting this sort of thing.

"Where we really lack support is government policy because, if you're in England, you have the Motability Scheme, where you can take your disability allowance and put that towards a vehicle, which we don't have."

Disability charity Enable Jersey said it would work with the government to see if these changes can be brought to the island.

Sean Pontin from the charity said: "We have quite an old island... and some places are not great in terms of accessibility."

Pontin agreed with Beaty, adding: "The Motability Scheme in the UK has been established for many years and works really well.

"Our benefits system doesn't really dovetail in that way.

"It's a conversation we've had previously and it's a conversation I'd like to have again."

The government said: "The UK Motability Scheme, which is charity-led, relies on a significant capital fund and economies of scale.

"If a Jersey resident secures a loan for mobility equipment or adapted vehicles, they could use their disability benefit income to repay that loan."

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