Emma Bridgewater factory, Stoke

We cruised right through the middle of the a sprawling Hanley Park soon after setting off. It had fancy wrought iron bridges, formal flower gardens and a bandstand as well as grassed games pitches, tarmacked childrens' play facilities and multi use games areas. It was a sunny Sunday and there were loads of people enjoying it.

We didn't travel far as Vicky was still waiting for her prescription to be ready at a nearby chemist. Shiny new silver mooring rings were available right opposite a brick factory with a good section of towpath, so we tied up here before we even realised it was the one and only Emma Bridgewater factory! She's one of Vicky's favourite ceramic artists. There was a Lidl just 5 minutes away and ten minutes away was an Ableworld. Since Vicky's health got worse at xmas she's felt as if she has been missing out on seeing and doing so much. She is part of a Facebook group for people with ME and some of these have mobility scooters, wheelchairs or powerchairs to help them get out so we went to have a look at what Ableworld had in their showroom. She tried a scooter and a couple of chairs and we checked their folded measurements to see if they'd fit under the dinette where the e bike that was stolen had been stored. It was a tough decision because she doesn't want to see herself as someone who needs a chair and she doesn't want others to think she's a fraud for using one while she's able to stand and walk. In the end we decided to buy a Spirit Carbon powerchair. It is 15kg without the battery and really easy to use and lift.

In the coming days she used it to shop at Lidl, pick up her prescription and make a short visit to Stoke city centre. We tried to book a tour of the Emma Bridgewater factory but it was booked up 3 weeks in advance so we visited the factory shop instead. Vicky couldn't have done any one of these things without pushing herself over the limit but with the chair she was able to do them all. It really lifted her mood so we reckon it was a good decision.Read more