Our range of gripping solutions were born out of our CEO, Rob’s lived experience of spinal cord injury. Frustrated by his reduced hand function during his rehabilitation, he set about designing aids that would enable him to work out and get strong enough to live an active and independent life. Since our early days, nearly twenty years ago, we have grown enormously. We are now very proud to support users with a wide range of disabilities and conditions. Our mission, however, has remained the same – to support people to live active and inclusive lives. We love getting to know other communities with the same ethos and so we enjoyed chatting recently to Sarah-Jane from the charity Reach. She told us about their mission to enable young people with upper limb difference to live “a life beyond limits” for the whole of their lives.
A Life Beyond Limits
Sarah-Jane has been Operations Lead for Reach for the past three years. We chatted about her role and the importance of the work that Reach does for its community. “Reach is a friendly, caring place for children with upper limb differences and their families for the whole of their lives. We give support and information to inspire and build confidence. We offer fun activities to encourage Reach children to participate on their terms, whatever their age or ability.”
Reach is based in the UK and consists of 18 volunteer-led branches, including a sister organisation in Ireland. These branches offer a community with “big reach and a big heart”, supporting children in all areas of life. 80 volunteers work to put on an amazing array of events, meet ups and information. Sarah-Jane explains,
“ The Reach community is very special – by definition diverse, always respectful, keen to learn with and from each other.”
Getting involved
The Reach calendar might just be one of the most packed events calendars we’ve seen. There really is no stopping this community!
Kicking off very soon is their first Triathlon. June 27-28th see Mallory Park welcome participants of all ages to compete in a variety of races. It’s described by Reach as, “ a celebration of sport, family, friendship and collective spirit.” If you, or your child, has an upper limb difference and you fancy finding out more, there’s still time to sign up! Head to their website for more information.
Throughout the year, Reach run Regional Family Weekends, organised by their volunteer branch coordinators. “This year we’ve had Reach on the Beach in South Wales, a Tree Top adventure in East Anglia, and still to come a weekend in the Lakes, a wild adventure in Cornwall and a City Meet Up in Belfast!”
The Annual Family Weekend moves location each year. It aims to get the whole community together for a weekend of guest speakers, fun activities, music and dancing. This year they’re heading to Manchester in October and for the first time are hosting a golf day with golf pro, Darren Grey – get in touch if you want to play!
Finally, RAW is the annual week-long adventure for young people with upper limb difference. It brings young people together with mentors who ‘get it’ to challenge themselves and build friendships that last a lifetime.
What’s Next for Reach?
As part of Reach’s commitment to develop more support for adults with upper limb difference, they have very recently created a podcast, aimed at 18-25 year olds. ‘Off Hand’ covers those topics that can feel tricky to chat about. From dating and mental health, to heading off to university and navigating work. They explain,
“Hosted by Megan Bacon-Evans, Off Hand opens up honest, funny, emotional and sometimes difficult conversations about the realities of living with upper limb difference.”
You can listen to all episodes on Spotify.
How does Active Hands support those with upper limb difference?
We love the support and community that Reach have created. We understand the unique needs of those with upper limb difference when it comes to reduced hand function and so have a range of gripping solutions designed especially for one-handed users.
For budding chefs, our kitchen range includes the incredible Hold Fast. This vacuum platform holds onto jars, bottles, mixing bowls, cartons, hot saucepans and more, enabling you to open and use one-handed without the container slipping around.
Our kitchen range also includes the Food Preparation Board, Sandwich Prep Board and Belliclamp Jar and Bottle Opener, all designed with upper limb difference in mind.
To support Personal Care the Bra Buddy, 1-Up Hair Tie and One-Handed Nail Clippers address those tricky parts of your morning routine that can easily lead to a frustrating start to the day.
Working out both sides of your upper body can be a real challenge when you have upper limb difference. But is crucial for best health and well-being. Our Limb Difference aid support users with missing fingers or parts of hands to create a firm grip on weights, handles and gym equipment enabling a challenging and independent workout. Alternatively, the Gecko Band wraps around your arm to enable pulling exercises without the involving a hand or wrist. You can find out more about either of these images, by clicking on the pictures.
To find out more about the work of Reach, or to get involved, head to their website where you’ll find a wealth of information about their work and the support they offer.
Jo Smith
