Beach Wheelchairs North Berwick hire beach wheelchairs from our Beach Hut within North Berwick Harbour. We also have a fixed outdoor hoist at this location but you must provide your own sling with loops.
When you call to book with us, we will talk you through the options available to ensure that where possible the wheelchair that you choose meets your needs. Please note if you want to use a wheelchair for paddling or sea swimming you MUST choose a manual wheelchair.
How to Book
You can book in three different ways:
Call us in advance on 0300 111 2112
Email info@beachwheelchairs.org or
PM us via our North Berwick Facebook page.
Please note that these are all manned by volunteers and we may not be able to respond immediately. Leave a message and we promise will get back to you.
Sessions can be booked in advance for morning, afternoon or evening 7 days a week - as long as we can arrange a volunteer to help you. Please note hires are not available at High Tide due to a lack of ramp access. If possible please check tide times prior to calling us.
Where to find us and where to park
We will meet you at our Beach Hut in North Berwick Harbour, EH39 4JL. We have permission for customers to park opposite our Beach Hut within the harbour area. To get there you must drive down Victoria Road, open the double black gates and drive very slowly in the harbour area. You will see our stripey Beach Hut in front of you and you should park opposite. Our volunteer will direct you. There are also 2 blue badge spaces on Victoria Road and more in a parking bay beside Milsey Bay.
What you need to know
We will be show you how to use the wheelchair, we'll check your photographic ID and ask you to sign some paperwork. For hires of the power wheelchair you will need to complete a driving test taking you through the controls and handling of the wheelchair until such a time as our volunteer is content that you are competent. You will also be provided with a safety briefing. Please pay particular attention to the safety briefing.
We can look after your wheelchair for you. You will need someone who is of good overall health and fitness to push our manual wheelchairs. You can use the beach wheelchair on the West Bay Beach or Milsey Bay Beach. Please do no ttake our beach wheelchairs into North Berwick town.
Tour of the x8 wheelchair by Maddie
X8 Power Wheelchair
The x8 Power All Terrain Wheelchair. This is a fantastic wheelchair that gives the user a huge amount of independence and freedom. It also can be used by a carer through the attendant controls. This will allow more people to get back on the beach; those who might not have previously been able to do this as they haven’t a carer able to push them. It also is suitable for users up to 182kg (about 28 stone).
It’s an amazing wheelchair with safety features, great manoeuvrability and comfort – it just can’t go in the water! You must also take extreme care on the ramps and look out for obstacles on the beach.
To hire the x8 please call us as normal. We will ask you a few additional questions - whether controls should be for left or right handed operation and your height for the footplate.
Prior to your first hire you will be taken through the controls of the wheelchair by our volunteers and will undergo a quick driving test prior to first use. This is to ensure your and other beach users safety. As with all our wheelchairs you must follow all instruction given by our volunteers to ensure your safety.
We are delighted to have recieved funding so that we have 2 x8 wheelchairs available in North Berwick.
This wheelchair must never go in the water. This may break our wheelchair and you may end up stranded on the beach. If you want to swim or paddle please choose a manual beach wheelchair
The Sandcruiser
This is our newest manual wheelchair. The sandcruiser moves really well on the sand. The armrest lifts up to help with transfers. Unfortunately the footplate is fixed so transfers can’t be done from the front. The leg rest elevation can be altered. The wheelchair has a simple lapstrap.
You can find out more about the Sandcruiser on our YouTube channel. Please click the link below.
deBug
This is our brand new DeBug manual wheelchair. The armrests move to the side to allow a lateral transfer. The footrest can also be completely removed to allow for an easier standing transfer. It’s not a hugely supportive wheelchair but it moves really well on the sand. It has a simple lapstrap.
Hippocampe
We have two Hippocampe wheelchairs, a medium sized wheelchair suitable for children and small adults and an XL sized wheelchair for adults. The Hippocampe is low to the ground, so perfect for getting close to the sand and sea. However, the fixed front wheel may make it more difficult for some people to access and steer. Our hippocampes have arm rests, leg rests, lap straps, chest harness and head rest. We also have a vacuum seating system to provide a high level of stability and comfort.
You can find out more about the hippocampe on our YouTube channel! Click the link below
Hoist
Beach Wheelchairs North Berwick has an all weather marine grade steel hoist bolted in place at the Beach Hut to assist with transfers when this is needed. Our volunteers are trained in lifting and lowering the hoist. It remains the customers responsibility to provide the sling and ensure that it is correctly attached to the spreader bar and is appropriate for the person being transferred.
The Splasy Seat
This is our Splashy seat made by Firefly. This can be borrowed for use on the beach at North Berwick. This provides support for sitting on the beach for smaller users. It can recline and has loads of different options for the positioning of the 5 point harness with a simple toggle system. The manufacturers say that it is suitable for users up to age 8 and 30kg. Like all of our kit you should make sure it suits your families needs.
Beach Wheelchairs past customer
We always love to hear from you if you have used our services. Please copy and paste the link to fill in our feedback form.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1swbfdogYxt85eat_av_tVoM1U3bZTWbiL7anAGi37mU/edit?ts=615f3966