A RUNNER’S fast Marathon finish has resulted in the donation of a pioneering new wheelchair to the charity he supports.

When Daniel Salter, 30, signed up for The J’s Hospice Chelmsford Marathon, he asked his employer, TGA Mobility, to donate a state-of-the-art wheelchair rather than gather donations.  

The company agreed, but only if Mr Salter ran his first gruelling 26 mile race within 4.5 hours.

He completed the trial in four hours and 12 minutes, despite stopping to help a poorly young female entrant mid-race.

Mr Salter, a mobility consultant from Sudbury, recently visited the charity’s Great Baddow office to present the wheelchair.

He said: “I was so proud to hand over the StrongBack wheelchair to the team at The J’s Hospice as they are all fantastic and do an amazing job.

“They were really appreciative and I was lucky enough to meet Alice, one of the young adults in their care.

“She tried the StrongBack for the first time and gave us a big smile and agreed that it was really comfortable.

I will continue to support The J’s and I’m looking forward to cycling for the charity on the Pedal for The J’s cycle ride next year.”

He met the charity’s boss Bev Barclay MBE, nurses and healthcare assistants plus young Alice Leigh, a patient.

The wheelchair is a folding design, with a contoured backrest offering better lumbar support and improved comfort than previous models.

It helps carers push their clients more easily and without the worry of back strain while lifting.

Bev Barclay is delighted with the wheelchair.

She said: “Thank you to Daniel and the management team at TGA Mobility for this generous donation.

“Our patients have a wide range of life-limiting conditions that can severely affect their mobility so this is a fantastic early Christmas present and we promise to put it to good use.”