A Berkeley Institute student will participate in the End to End after schoolmates helped raise money for her new wheelchair. Daniella-Jade Lowe, 15, received her purpose-built sports wheelchair last week after Richard Vanderwal from Motion Specialists in Toronto flew down specially to deliver the chair.

Funds for the $5,000 customised wheelchair were raised when PE teacher Richard North organised a basketball event for the whole school which raised $2,500 towards the cost of the chair. Twenty-six-year-old Haley Webb, of Devonshire, also collected $1,000 in donations from her friends.

The Argus Group then stomped up the remaining $1,500 after science teacher David Chapman wrote to them about Daniella, who is also known as DJ. The St. George’s girl, is Berkeley’s only physically challenged student. She said the new school, which opened last September and has disabled access and elevators, was a vast improvement on the old building.

Her new wheelchair will enable her to participate in physical education classes and also compete in the End to End today.

Mr. North said: “DJ is extremely excited to have the chair and has already noticed a huge difference within her mobility whilst participating in sporting activities. She now can take her participation to another level.”

Health and physical education teacher Rhonda Rawlins has organised a special course for DJ’s first attempt at the annual charity walk.

She will be starting at Sandys Middle School and will finish in Dockyard and thanked everyone who helped raise money.