Remap custom-makes equipment to help disabled people live more independent lives
REMAP is an independent charity whose engineers design and make custom, one-off equipment (or modify existing equipment) to improve the quality of life of disabled individuals or their carers when there is nothing otherwise commercially available.
Remap Gloucestershire is part of this national charity. The Gloucestershire Panel, which was established over 35 years ago, is made up of engineers, occupational therapists and other health workers. All the engineers' time is given on a voluntary basis. Most cases are referred by Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Social Services or health and community workers within the county.
Any aspect of difficulty that disabled people or their carers encounter in their daily lives is looked at by the REMAP team and a solution designed and built to try to resolve the problem. Each solution, provided free of charge to the client, is specifically designed to address the individual’s problem and enables an improvement in their quality of life or provides greater independence. REMAP's unique pieces of special equipment are tailor-made by volunteer experts and given free to the people who need them. Our engineers give their time and energies free, taking the trouble to ensure that each item they make really suits the individual person concerned and does the job it is meant to do. In Gloucestershire we help on average 100 disabled people every year and bring them a better quality of life or new opportunities for them to explore.
If you feel that REMAP can help you or someone you know, please contact us by filling in the or give us a call. This website is intended to provide a glimpse of the work that we are actively involved in, with the purpose of encouraging more people with disabilities to contact us. To see some of the work we have done in more detail, please view our .
To avoid possible disappointment please be aware that Remap only undertake tasks that are not commercially available. If you submit a request that is found to be commercially available you will be advised by Remap as to where you should go to fulfil your request.
For further information call John Fox on 01451 861432 or use the menu above.
REMAP Gloucestershire client wins world archery gold
Terry, who sustained a spinal injury during his military service, faces challenges with standing and walking and relies on a wheelchair for mobility. Additionally, he is visually impaired due to diabetic retinopathy and strabismus, especially in his right eye, where exotropia causes images to distort and overlap.
As an enthusiastic archer, Terry faced increasing challenges when it came to enjoying his beloved pastime. Restrictions in his mobility, sight, as well as weakness and dexterity issues in his hands were causing him to spend less time on the archery range.
Terry's primary challenge revolved around stringing his bow, especially during solo training sessions. Terence Tomlin from REMAP was the volunteer who developed a device that could be attached to his bow, assisting him in securing the string. Terry relied on this solution until he transitioned from a recurve bow, which required frequent stringing, to a compound bow with a permanently attached string set.
Additionally, because of Terry's visual impairment, he encountered difficulties in tracking precisely where his arrows landed on the target. To address this issue, he bought a scope and mounted it on a tripod. However, as a wheelchair user, he struggled to use it effectively, frequently inadvertently knocking the tripod with his bow, disrupting his shooting process.
Despite his efforts to find a solution to mount the scope securely to his wheelchair using various commercial clamping options and extension arms, he couldn't find a suitable solution.
Terry reached out to REMAP once again, and Terence Tomlin modified a tripod, monopod, and the clamps to successfully develop a rugged wheelchair mounted solution.
These solutions enabled Terry to progress in his sport and engage in more training. As a result of his dedication and improved equipment, Terry earned a spot on the Great Britain team for the International Blind Sports Federation World Games held in Birmingham this summer. He went on to secure a gold medal in the V.I. Open Archery category.
Adam's Story
Adam has cerebral palsy and is a powered wheelchair user. He is passionate about accessibility for all and to raise money for a new wheelchair he has been completing a series of wheel power challenges. Last July he attempted to drive his wheelchair from Cheltenham to Manchester over three days. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties he broke down 20 miles outside of Birmingham. After solving battery problems he reattempted this on Sunday 10th May 2019. He successfully drove his powered wheelchair from Birmingham to Manchester in only two days!
Take a look at this in a recent edition of the South Wales Argos - and this in the Gloucestershire Live website.
Adam also volunteers for a charity working around the Gloucestershire and Midlands areas that teaches wheelchair skills to children. Adam says: “being able to inspire these children to be the independent people I know they can be is a real honour for me’’.
After receiving support and advice from the Remap Gloucestershire panel, Adam has decided to fund raise for Remap by undertaking a wheel power challenge this July!
Remap would like to congratulate Adam for completing his wheel power challenge and for supporting our work.
Following Adam's success of his sponsored trip in aid of Remap, he decided to set his sights on a higher level by trying to beat the world record for a trip from John o'Groats to Land' End in a wheelchair. The current record stands at 24 days. With the help from the Mercedes Formula One team, who installed a Lithium Ion battery in his wheel chair and a modification of the position of his control joystick by Remap Gloucestershire, he set out from John o'Groats.
By the time this article was written for our website, he should have achieved his goal and completed the trip in about 22 days. Well done Adam. We look forward to seeing his entry in the Guinness book of records.
Take a look at his entry on our Facebook page above.
Remap Gloucestershire wins National Award for Dancing Wheelchair - 2017
Remap’s annual national awards 2017 included 8 different categories. We are proud to announce that the 2017 Wolff Award for electronics has been awarded to the Dancing Wheelchair that was designed and made by Martin Davitt and Tom Bradley from Gloucestershire Remap for National Star College, Cheltenham.
The college was made aware of a development in the USA of a Rolling Dance Chair, which uses sensors under the seat. This known aid gave the college a wish list for such a chair to encompass a greater variety of students with various disabilities such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, etc.
Unlike the American chair which only provided dance movement for a very limited number disabilities, the Gloucestershire remap panel was contacted by the maintenance department of National Star College on behalf of the dance studio to explore the possibility of giving dance movement to a wider group of students.
The college provided our panel with a mid-wheel-drive wheelchair for this project, to enable as many users as possible and taking in all disabilities with or without the full use of their upper bodies, and limited body control.
After consultation with Star College's performing arts group, in order to give more disabilities access to the Dancing Chair, it was decided to add controls for the wheelchair movement from gyro sensors attached to the performers arms and/or head. This will allow the use of the chair to all but the most severely disabled students.
Although the Dancing Wheelchair is now being used with great success by Star College, there is an ongoing project using a donated wheelchair to improve the performance of the chair. Watch this space for version 2 of the chair!
Check out the made by BBC Gloucestershire. You can also listen to Martin Davitt's interview by BBC radio Gloucestershire...
REMAP Gloucester wins National Award for helping local disabled athletes - 2015
Remap’s annual national awards include 7 different categories. We are proud to announce that the 2015 award for Sport, Hobbies and Recreation has been awarded to the throwing frame that was designed and made by Peter Vielvoye from Gloucestershire Remap for the young athletes at Cheltenham Athletics Club.
After the tremendous success of the 2012 Paralympics it was decided to rationalise the seated throwing rules for disabled athletes. This meant that existing seats no longer conformed to the new rules and there was a need for a new design that did.
In 2013, Gloucestershire Remap panel were asked by Cheltenham Athletic Club if they could help. After much consultation and research a new seat design was manufactured for their budding young paralympic athletes. Following the success of our first seat, we have now manufactured and individually tailored seats to suit the needs of 4 of their athletes and two more are 'on the production line'. The picture on the right shows Gareth Picken competing at The English Disability Age Championships in Bedford where he achieved a personal best, attributed by him to his new seat but I am sure he had a big hand in it to. The picture on the left shows Gareth in the middle with two of the other athletes proudly sat on their seats.
Read what Gareth and his father have to say about the throwing seat and Remap Gloucestershire by following this .