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Wheelchair user adapts campervan to find 'freedom'

Maddy Jennings
BBC News, Norfolk
Maddy Jennings/BBC A young man with blonde hair and blue eyes, smiling, and sat in a black powerchair. He is wearing a black hoodie and blue trousers. Behind him, the back doors of his van are opened. At the back of the van, there are two seats. Around the van, there is concrete floors. On the right, there is a green hedge. Maddy Jennings/BBC
Sam Crawford says working on the van guided him in his recovery

A man who became tetraplegic after an accident said adapted campervans like his could give wheelchair users more freedom.

Sam Crawford from Diss, Norfolk suffered a spinal cord injury after jumping into a river in June 2017.

The 27-year-old joiner created an adapted van, which he nicknamed Paddy, after finding there was a lack of rental vehicles he could use.

"When you have an injury, it takes away a lot of freedom and spontaneity. That's something the van can give back," he said.

Tetraplegia, otherwise known as quadriplegia, is a partial or complete loss of sensory and motor function in all four limbs.

Mr Crawford "fell in love with camping" as a teenager and first bought a transit van with the intention of converting it in April 2017.

Two months after purchasing the van, his accident left him reliant on a wheelchair.

"It put my dream on hold, and after a tough couple of years I wanted to continue it," he said.

"I didn't want the injury to get in the way of the dream I had."

Maddy Jennings/BBC A man is sat in a powered wheelchair. He is facing away from the camera, has blonde hair and is wearing a black hoodie. The chair is on a lift attached to the back of a white van. The lift has bright red handlebars and the edges are bright yellow. Around the van, the floor is concrete. The sky can just be seen at the sides, and it is grey. Maddy Jennings/BBC
The van has multiple adaptations including a lift and an adjustable bed

The van has a built-in lift for wheelchairs, a hoist system and sufficient space for turning around.

It is also fitted with a bed that can be adjusted for either transferring out of a chair or for use with a hoist.

Mr Crawford said building the van had been an enjoyable but challenging experience.

"There was a lot to figure out, a big learning curve, but you have to enjoy the process.

"That's a mindset that I had to take on throughout my injury."

Despite a "challenging" recovery, Mr Crawford credits his dream with helping him to stay on track.

"The injury has been very difficult but having Paddy has given me a bit of a guiding point to stay motivated," he said.

"We need a purpose in life. I think Paddy is my purpose."

"It's given me a sense of achievement. I must admit, I'm very proud of what I've managed to achieve."

Transport For All A head shot of a woman looking into the camera and smiling. She has shoulder length brown hair, and is wearing black glasses. She has a medical device, with a tube, coming out of her neck. She is wearing black clothing. Transport For All
Emma Vogelmann from Transport For All says it can be difficult to find accessible holidays

Mr Crawford hopes the van will be able to open up more opportunities to people unable to use a standard campervan.

"There isn't anything like this," he said.

"I want to share it. I want everyone to get that freedom."

Emma Vogelmann from charity Transport for All hoped other people would be inspired.

"We all want a chance to kick back and enjoy life with the people we care about, but our team knows from personal experience that finding accessible holidays can be challenging," she said.

"Projects like this, built with the expertise and experience of disabled people, show what is possible with a bit of thought and imagination."

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