A Suffolk skip hire company has donated £5,000 so a teenager can follow her dream of becoming a wheelchair tennis champion.
Ruby Bishop, 17, who has cerebral palsy, has been pursuing her ambition to play the sport professionally since attending a push to podium event held in Ipswich.
The Norwich teenager is currently ranked in the top five players in the world for girls, as well as the top 85 for women’s singles and doubles.
She now needs a specialist wheelchair, which costs more than £7,000 in total.
SunSkips has premises in Stowmarket, Cambridge and soon Haverhill. Bosses were inspired to help Ruby after hearing of the charity GeeWizz’s efforts to help her afford the state-of-the-art wheelchair.
Managing director, Mat Stewart, was moved by Ruby’s story.
He said: “GeeWizz does so much and it’s really inspiring to see the impact they make in our area – especially in this case, where they identified Ruby’s need for a specialist wheelchair and set about raising the funds to change her life.”
GeeWizz CEO Aileen Belsberg was "completely blown away” by SunSkips help, and has thanked the company for its kindness.
GeeWizz was founded in 2015, and supports children and young people across Suffolk and Norfolk by funding the provision of equipment for those with physical disabilities, or support for those who are learning disabled or neurodivergent, or live with a life-limiting illness or cancers.
This month, Ruby made her debut at the World Team Cup in Portugal on the women’s senior team, where they placed sixth overall.
She has her eyes firmly set on one day competing in the Paralympics.
She also campaigns against discrimination in PE lessons, and in 2021 joined forces with Norwich North MP Chloe Smith, who helped her access outdoor tennis facilities in Sprowston to train during lockdown.
To raise the remaining £2,000 needed for the wheelchair, GeeWizz will be running an online raffle from July 4 – 12.
To donate, keep an eye on their social media pages to be ready when the raffle goes live.
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