Oxford residents Gwynneth Pedler and Nora Mackenzie are two ladies with a lot of courage, determination and enthusiasm for life. They do not let anything stand in their way when they want to achieve something. This summer, both of them have done things most of us only dream about.

Gwynneth volunteered to sit in her wheelchair on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, in the pouring rain during the wettest July on record.

She wanted to do this in order to raise awareness about accessibility for the disabled. She certainly achieved that, and more! Meanwhile, her good friend Nora decided a sailor’s life was for her and found herself hoisted to the top of the main mast on a tall ship.

Nora said: “The five-day trip on a tall ship was one of the greatest adventures of my life, and going up the rigging was an exhilarating experience.”

Gwynneth was with her on that life-changing trip across the Channel, and their ambition is to help all disabled people to live their dreams.

There is no limit to what they can aspire to, and that is the aim of a new group – Unlimited – being formed in Oxfordshire. It meets once a month in Oxford to promote, monitor and advise on attitudes of both disabled and non-disabled people, and anyone is welcome. Education, empowerment and encouragement are keywords for this dedicated team of people.

“We aspire to be a representative voice for all disabled people,” said Peter Hindshaw of Unlimited. “All too often society forgets that being in a wheelchair or visually or hearing impaired automatically eliminates one from taking part in many exciting activities or even quite normal daily actions like going shopping etc. Although much has been done to improve accessibility to public buildings, many shops and services are not user-friendly for the physically handicapped. This can create a feeling of alienation and isolation . . . when a simple ramp and a ‘can do’ attitude will solve the problem in many cases.”

There is a lot of work still to be done, and it can only be done by determined folk, like Nora and Gwynneth, but they know there are lots more adventurous people like them around Oxfordshire!

If you would like to know more about Unlimited call Gwynneth on 01865 862996 or email gwynneth@glpedler.f9.co.uk