3 minute read
Meet Grandad Wheels
An horrific accident brought about a 'fun' career change.
Hi! My name is Brian Abram, age 65 from Halifax. In 2013, I (just) survived an horrific cycling accident that left me a T9 complete paraplegic and a fulltime wheelchair user. Retired and with time on my hands, a couple of years later I started writing stories to amuse my grandson who was just 6 months old at the time of the accident. I was encouraged by friends and family to turn this first story into a book. So, after a long search, I found an illustrator and we produced a beautifully illustrated children’s book about the adventures of a daft, wheelchair-using grandad and his grandson. And then I wrote some more! Whilst the stories are of course designed to make children laugh, they also aim to show the reader that being in a wheelchair is no barrier to having fun or being fun. When I started out on this journey, I had no idea if there would be any
interest, but I decided to donate any proceeds from the sale of the book to the Spinal Injuries Association and Back Up – two important charities that help people who have suffered spinal injuries, like me. I self-published my first book in November 2019 and Sir Quentin Blake, illustrator of Roald Dahl’s books described my first book as, “ an impressive piece of work...”
Well, interest grew and I’ve now self-published four, high quality children’s books in the series ‘The Adventures of Grandad Wheels!’ and there are two more stories to follow. I was also encouraged to visit primary schools to read my stories and help children to understand about disability. I’ve now visited 72 schools (despite visits being impossible due to COVID between March 2020 and May 2021). And so far, more than 14,000 primary school children (and many teachers) have met Grandad Wheels, learning about inclusivity, disability and resilience. These visits have had incredibly positive reviews from teachers and children: ‘The best visit you could ever hope to have’- Chris Dyson, hugely influential HT at Parklands Primary, Leeds ‘A visit from him should be part a mandatory part of the curriculum’ - Joe Dryland, HT Kirkham St Michael’s Primary, Preston I’ve also now donated £40,000 to the Spinal Injuries Association and Back Up. Way beyond what I could possibly have imagined when I started! In June 2022, my story was featured on BBC1’s The One Show, when they introduced me to one of the people who saved my life back in 2013.
In the meantime, you can find out more by visiting my website www.grandadwheels.com You can buy the books via the website and there’s also a link on the home page to watch my appearance on The One Show.
