Ghana Blog - Day 7

Phil Green is on the ground in Ghana for the Wheels for the World distribution - he's bringing us a daily blog from the trip. Catch up on all the entries by following this link to our Wheels blog page.

An early start today and breakfast, you may have guessed, was eggs and beans etc. I am not complaining, although I am looking forward to a little selection at breakfast next week.

We headed back off to Dzolokpuita (Still have no idea how to pronounce it though). We had expected a few more people there initially but people were coming in through the morning. In total we saw 65 people today with 25 wheelchairs given out, along with 4 buggies so it ended up being quite busy.

I was again struck by all the children we saw, and at one point I was almost in tears with one little boy (Laurence). He had come yesterday, but we didn’t have a footplate for the buggy we wanted to fit him in. We had got one last night however and asked if they could come back today. I was playing with him as Kathy was working with him, but she said something like 'there is a little boy in there just trapped inside but wanting to get out.'

He had epilepsy I just found out, and it was causing brain damage. The more he would fit, the more brain damage he would get. Just thinking about it now makes me a little sad, and again I do feel helpless, so all I can do is pray for him I suppose.

Similar feelings for other children I saw today including a little boy called Shadrack, great name of course but his brothers were not called Meshach and Abednego. He was mostly smiles and again the children always bring real energy even if sometimes it meant they were crying. Seeing white faces for the first time must also be quite scary too for some of the children.

The day was busy though with a combination of fixing chairs, taking photos and capturing video and the rest of the team were equally busy… it was really a bit of a blur (for me at least) now I think about it.

At the end of the day we had one lady turn up after we were just about to get back on the mini bus (or, I should say, our luxury air conditioned coach). She was being pushed in an old wheelchair, which has a bit of a story behind it as it had been brought in as an old chair in the day, and its owner was then given a new wheelchair. The chair wasn’t in great condition but was just about functional. Ellen (our host) gave the chair away to someone and it disappeared off. However, that someone had given the chair to someone else, which resulted in this lady turning up in it being pushed by her brother (I think). She ended up with a new wheelchair. We left the chair behind hoping that someone else could still use it.

As we were just about to leave we were invited in for a drink with the Ho West region Regional Director. They were our hosts in Dzolokpuita, and he had been over several times to see what Wheels for the World was all about. When he realised we weren’t just there to give out wheelchairs but also to show God's love in action by sharing the Gospel and giving out Bibles then he was really impressed. They ended up giving a donation (quite sizeable in Ghanaian terms) to the work we were doing in combination with Ellen's Light Outreach work. Ellen, if I haven’t explained well, is the real reason we are here with the work that she does for street children and people with disabilities. A fantastic woman.

Anyway, the regional director was really complimentary and expressed a wish to work closer with Wheels and Ellen in the future, so that was great news! This really boosted many in the team.

Personally I find it hard to accept praise sometimes, especially on a trip like this when I just want to crack on and help as best I can. At the same time, my photo/video work will only really kick in when I am back at home and start editing etc. But although I find it hard sometimes I do now realise first hand from Ghanaians themselves that we are changing people's lives, so actually when I sit and think about it now it does give me a warm feeling.

It seems that there is a feeling that some Ghanians think that NGOs etc come into the country to make money and then just disappear, so they can be skeptical of some good works, and hopefully now that the director and his team have seen what we do, (i.e. that it's not for money) and was really impressed at the love the team shows to people he may well be able to help Wheels in the future. For example he may be able to help with the speedier release of the container which sat in the port for well over a week this time. So please pray that he can influence this with the other powers that be here.

After the meeting we headed back to the hotel. One of our team had come back earlier due to an upset tummy, so we are praying about that. Despite that, spirits are high, and we keep praying as mentioned and I again ask that you do too please.

WiFi/internet connectivity was online for a while, so the team all sat around with iPhones, tablets and laptops out. It’s strange how many of us are dependant on our smart devices and WiFi/Internet to be able to keep up with family/friends and world news. I think Kathy and Graham were texting each other even though they were sat next to each other. They claim they weren’t of course!

I also had an email from Glenda, who I have been on 3 trips with and if you don’t know Glenda then well she’s another amazing woman and you should perhaps read some of my blogs from previous trips.

Her email said 'you're doing a fantastic job' followed by 'the team of course.. not you !' hmmmm...

But I agree the team are doing a fantastic job and as we were told by the regional director he said we are changing lives. I don’t want to be arrogant about this, but I am believing thats the case.

In Glenda’s email she also said it made a change not to be the butt of some of my remarks… I know Reninca is getting most of those now…. now Glenda, I was going to bring up some embarrassing memory from the past but just this once I won’t.. I’ll just say I miss you and its different not having you on a trip with me.

I am again sitting under the moon and stars at the end of day 7 about to head to bed.
It’s been a mentally challenging day for me really… not that I didn’t expect to be mentally challenged on this trip since I knew I’d end up feeling emotional about some of the things we see, especially the children.
Again all I can do is thank God for what he provides and ask him to bless those we have seen.
I am thinking about little Laurence in particular tonight and praying for him.
I am trusting God’s got it all in hand and at the same time I know I and some of the team are praying for miracles so perhaps you can pray the same too.

So with my usual sign off at the end of day 7 with the team tucked in again and probably snoring away I’ll say night night.

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Ghana blog - Day 6

A routine start to the day, with breakfast the Ghanaian way.. . yes eggs, beans etc. I think you may be realising there isn’t much choice at breakfast but if you like eggs, beans etc then its great!

Will and I headed out early to sort out some banking needs and to try and get some mobile broadband sorted. Will also had a few issues at the bank so please pray for this as we will need to pay for the hotel at some point… either that or I’ll be doing the washing up here for the next 20 years to pay off the bill.

So we were a little late heading off to Dzolokpuita (don’t ask me to pronounce it, I have no idea!) We were told it was only 20 mins away but the team were wondering if that really meant 20 mins or the African equivalent i.e. an hour or so. It was however really only about 20 mins away! So the team got straight to it... The people there were a lot calmer and more patient than at Kpando. It’s amazing that some people who hadn’t registered stayed all day to see if we could help, including a little boy called Kofi, more on him later.

There were lots of children today it seemed… seeing them really has an impact on me. We had Edith, Dorothy, Laurence and Kofi that I remember today. Most of the time they were always smiling and wanting to interact - It’s just so easy to want to stop and play with them rather than actually get on and fit them in a chair etc.

In terms of lunch I’m not sure I have mentioned in Ghana this typically consists of rice and chicken. Reninca came to me today and said that lunch was cheese and pickle sandwiches. I got really excited at the thought of that, well up to the point when the word gullible appeared in my mind and Reninca revealed she was teasing me! So rice and chicken it was! Reninca is getting her own back for my teasing.

I was helping Katherine making a makeshift splint out of a plastic bottle and duct tape - We were doing our recycling bit! Quite often we have to think laterally to come up with ways of modifying chairs etc and with very little resources we do what we can.

At the end of today’s distribution Jill was working with the little boy, Kofi. We think he has severe learning disabilities but he was a real joy to be around. We entertained him with bubbles, sweets, shoes and a hat but in reality he was entertaining us with his constant smiling and energy. Will did some modifications on his wheelchair and he and his family left happy and grateful.

We packed up and then made the quick journey home, with a little detour on the way as we were being measured up for a traditional Ghanaian dress or a shirt which was a surprise to us all. I decided to choose the dress of course. (Not really!)

I also learned something new today - that oranges are not orange! Well not in Ghana anyway. They were green on one of the trees here but ripe they are yellow. Will bought some and essentially you just chop the top off and drink it by squeezing and sucking. Tasted just like tropicana orange back home (to me at least).

For those who want to know some facts, today we fitted 17 people in chairs, 1 buggy and 18 crutches. Tomorrow may well be more challenging as we are expecting more people and some with more severe disabilities, but the team will handle it in their normal professional manner. We do have an early start though, aiming to be there for 8am… so we plan to leave the hotel at about 7:30 - I should really get to bed a little earlier tonight so perhaps I’ll have to keep the blog a little shorter today.

I overheard a conversation where apparently some of the team are really enjoying the trip and as well as being encouraged by the way the team has just gelled together they are having fun! I won’t mention names at this point (for a small fee I might) but the perpetrators will be taken to one side and dealt with appropriately. In all seriousness though I have mentioned it before that the team just works... if anyone needs help they get it, if they need encouragement they get that too. We still have a few with slightly dodgy tummies and the team are looking after them but prayers of course welcomed still.

There were so many little moments today I just can’t capture them all. In fact I am slightly overwhelmed right now as I write this just thinking about those we met today. Those with so little yet so much... Pam mentioned in the team time about “the last shall be first” and some of those we saw today as mentioned had waited all day to get a chair or some help. Just reflecting on this now I am thanking God for all the great things that happened today and for his provision. It’s quite easy sometimes to forget God’s involvement in the little things as well as the big but right now I am thanking him.

I am thanking God for all those we saw today and I am particularly praying for those children. Perhaps you could do the same? Pray for Dorothy, Edith, Laurence, Kofi and the other children we met, and for their parents/guardians, that they know God as their rock and saviour.

The team again are safety tucked up in bed... and as I look up at the moon and stars again I’ll get ready to head off for bed too. So day 6 comes to a close and again I say night night.

Ghana blog - day 5

I had the opportunity to have a lie in but my body clock had me awake at about 5:30/6am but I wasn’t getting out of bed just then, so I had a little quiet time. Will just seems to wake up and go but I had to give myself a bit more encouragement before I finally got out of bed for breakfast.

I’d been thinking about the previous days and in particular little “Blessed”. He brought a tear to my eye again and I was yet again challenging myself as to what sort of difference we could make in Ghana. I have been reading The Shack whilst I am here and although it’s a fictional book it just reminded me about God’s love, whatever happens, and so I believe God’s looking out for him.

A few prayers later and with breakfast finished (yep eggs, beans etc again) the team started separating for the different churches... Kathy, Graham and Katherine headed off to church for an 8am start and Pam and Helen headed off to the leper colony where I believe Pam was preaching. Reninca and Jill headed off for another church with Will and me heading off for another close behind...

The service wasn’t in English and although we had some partial translation it was hard to follow. One of the songs I recognised, well the tune anyway, as they were singing in Ewe the local language here. There are also a lot of offerings. Not sure exactly how many they took but it was a lot! Will was asked to explain why we were there and whilst he only spoke for about 5-10 mins it was a great sermon even though it wasn’t supposed to be. He spoke about the banquet in the Bible where the rich were invited but didn’t go so instead the weak/poor etc were invited in and that was of course the link to Wheels. It really moved me!

The service finished after 12 and you may therefore realise that the services are quite long here. I don’t mean to sound critical of course, it’s a different culture and a different experience to the UK. On our return to the hotel we caught up with the rest of the team and shared experiences in and around the pool. Graham, Kathy and Katherine ended up at two church services and Graham spoke at both.

Some of the team are suffering from upset tummies so please pray for health/protection for the team. It was therefore good that the afternoon was spent getting some rest. We got a whiff of WiFi in the air so for a brief period we were able to email home until the hotel’s data credit was used up again which seems to happen very often. Perhaps its God’s way of saying “be patient” although it’s hard as many of us want to update loved ones at home.

Will went to sort some chairs for tomorrows distribution in a place called Dzolokpuita. I have to mention Will again here as he’s just a humble selfless guy... he’s fantastic! Also worth an extra special mention is Ellen our host who again gives up loads of her own time/money etc for something she really believes in and cares about. If we had more people like Ellen then the world would be a much better place so thank God for Ellen!

I am enjoying a nice breeze sat overlooking the town of Ho with a full moon and some stars to gaze at whilst I write this. I am reminded again of God’s awesomeness just looking up at the sky and I am praying for tomorrow that we can again help improve some lives - I’d love to see a miracle or two thrown in too.

I’ll keep asking for prayers, as mentioned for the team, but also for those who come tomorrow hoping for a chair or mobility aid that we would be able to help them and have the right chair just for them. At the end of day 5, again I will say night night.

Ghana blog - day 4

After the customary breakfast of eggs, beans etc we headed off again to Kpando. Now this is the correct spelling - I thought it was spelt Kandu previously. It’s almost a silent k when pronounced. For those who look on Google maps its north west of Ho near Lake Volta.

We had less people today but quite a few children. At the same time there was a wedding going on in the background, which resulted in an energetic and fun atmosphere. Some of the team suggested I should offer my services as a wedding photographer and make some money for Wheels whilst I was there! However, I didn’t really want to step on the toes of the photographer they had. (Katherine and I did get to peak inside the church as the service was going on - It wasn’t like any wedding I had seen before and it went on for hours!)

However, back to the task at hand i.e. distributing wheelchairs...

We had quite a few memorable moments today. One young man called Ben came in, using custom made blocks of wood. We found out that he was actually a shoe maker with a wife and a young son, so hopefully the chair will really help him - it’s great seeing the ‘before’ and ‘after’ and how much a difference a wheelchair can make. Will and Katherine were working on another chair for another child and did a great job modifying the chair to fit.

Now, I have to make an apology to Katherine at this point... I gave here the worst insult anyone could, by calling her a physio when she’s really an Occupational Therapist. As it turns out Kathy is our only physio and Katherine, Jill, Helen and Will (when he’s not in techie mode) are all OT’s. Thankfully the team don’t hold this against Kathy! I am told there is apparently a friendly rivalry between OT’s and Physio’s so it’s not just my teasing, well hopefully not.

I think our “observer” Reninca realised she’d have to up the ante today and so she became a techie for the day. For those who haven’t realised, I am only joking and the team know I am just teasing. Reninca is doing a great job and she’s absorbing lots of information and I am sure she will be a great asset to the international work of Through the Roof charity.

Anyway, later in the day Helen was helping a little boy called “Blessed” who had spina bifida. It’s hard to describe how I felt since I had a tear in my eye but as he was such a gorgeous little boy he brought a smile to everyone’s face. Helen was looking to put him in to a buggy but with a whole team effort we ended up creating some customised posture aids for him out of foam and wait for it… a cardboard box! Yes, we ended up putting a 14 month old in a cardboard box, but it was the best solution for him as a buggy wouldn’t have helped him.

We of course put a Wheels for the World sticker on the box and considered putting some wheels on the bottom but Blessed’s mother looked really happy with all the various aids we created for him. It was really a good ending to the day’s distribution since he was a really special little boy and all the team got involved. I am of course not advocating the next trip consists of a container full of cardboard boxes!

It’s something to remember that it’s not always possible or practical/beneficial to put everyone in a wheelchair. If they can walk in some fashion then it’s often better to give them crutches to help them keep their mobility.

Once we had packed up we had a little time watching the wedding that was still going on in the background before a quick visit to see the massive, man-made Lake Volta.

Later, in our team time we discussed plans for Church in the morning. Some of the team are going to the leper colony, and the rest are splitting up between churches. Will was going through the selection of services which was summarised by duration. He seemed to mention some of the services were from 8 till 12pm but I was holding out to see if he mentioned an 11 till 12 service so I could have a lie in! Seriously though I think we are all looking forward to the experience even though we are not sure if the services will be in English and if we may have to stand up and say a few words.

So as the day ends I am again reflecting on the day and thanking God again for those we saw - for Ben and Blessed as well as all the others, that God would bless them. Again I am praying that we have made a little difference in their lives.

I had been saying to Reninca that you get desensitised to things and on my 4th Wheels trip it’s no different… that is until I really sit there and think about it. In the Western world we are so fortunate to have great health care. Sure, some moan about the NHS etc but if you come out here your perceptions may well change. Again for me it’s the children that really have an impact. Seeing little Blessed in his box brought a tear to my eye. I have no idea what will happen to him or what sort of life he will live but I don’t think I’ll forget him and I’ll do my best to pray for him when I do think about him. Please pray for him too.

With that… at the end of day 4 I’ll say goodnight.

Ghana blog - day 3

Breakfast here seems to consist of omelette, beans and sausages... No cornflakes in sight, but once fuelled up we hit the road. We needed foam but, more importantly we needed Ghanaian money to buy it with! The currency is Cidis and it’s about 3.3 to the pound out of interest, but we headed to the bank to get some money exchanged. The first bank we tried didn’t accept good old Stirling… shocking, I’ll be having words with my bank manager when I get home! Another bank later and we had money for the foam. We then had to make two stops at different places as they are in short supply of the foam we prefer use. A sheet cost us 86 Cidis, about £26.

The drive to Kandu (I am not sure now if that’s spelt correctly!) took over 1.5 hours but people were ready and waiting when we arrived, so the team got straight to work.

I say this every time but the OT’s and Physios are just fantastic… I joke that the Physios are just glorified OT’s and vice versa but perhaps it’s not really a good time to joke when surrounded by Helen, Jill, Kathy and Katherine! Thank goodness they know I am joking... They do their job like clockwork, diagnosing the issues for each person then trying to get the right chair or mobility aid to match. If it needs some form of alteration they either do it themselves or ask Will or me for some ‘techie’ help.

Special mention for Katherine who did great on her first day of a distribution - by the end of the day she looked like she’d been doing it for years. Well done Katherine! Will is a seasoned veteran and he too on the techie side of things is just fantastic, coming up with different ways to modify and customise chairs.

Now before you think they paid me to say this, they haven’t seen any of the blogs yet so I assure you they have no idea I am writing this about them, not yet anyway!

I can’t, of course, miss out Graham and Reninca (although if you remember she’s in “observation mode” - so sits around doing nothing !) Joking of course, and she’s just slotting in great as another team member… but both of them are essential as they manage all the administration.

Pam then handles another essential bit, ministering to those who have been given chairs or mobility aids. I don’t envy her really as I can imagine it being emotionally as well as physically draining, but Wheels is about demonstrating God’s love in a practical way and I know she does a great job of sharing God’s word with those we help.

God is clearly here and actively involved. The day seemed to go really well with no major issues. Will realised on the way home that we left the drill behind but God had it covered as one of our hosts at the RC Church where the distribution took place had seen it and already taken it into his care for tomorrow when we return there for our second distribution.

As for me, I was helping Katherine work on a chair which needed some foot plate modifications. We have a shortage of straps but I’d early that day noticed a special strap hidden seemingly in a pile of blankets… there was just one and I’d pulled it out thinking perhaps it was there for a reason. Well there was! It was for the young man’s chair we were working on. It was a special foot plate strap and a little while later we had it fitted. Some may think its just coincidence but I think God’s involved in many of those - a God-incidence as some would say.

I got plenty of photos and video footage from the day and hopefully you may see some of them in the next week, but that depends on the internet access here. It’s strange of course as we take internet access in the UK for granted most of the time, but not in Ghana!

So at the end of day 3, I am thanking God for a great day and praying for tomorrow for more of the same, and again having the right chairs (or straps etc) for those who we get to help.

'I Have Known Nothing But Love' - Our Autumn 2013 Newsletter

Our Autumn 2013 Vital Link is now available for download - this issue features a report on the Hinwick holiday and retreat, an introduction to Reninca, our new International Missions Manager, details of the successful wheelchair distribution in Kenya, fundraising stories, and much more!

Follow this link to download the Autumn 2013 Vital Link Newsletter as a PDF

Please get in touch (on 01372 749955 or by following this link to email us) if you have any problems downloading this, or if you’d like to receive future newsletters by post or email.

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Ghana 2013 - 1st Blog

Our Wheels for the World team have arrived in Ghana for an eleven-day series of Wheelchair distributions. Team member, Phil Green, is writing a regular blog to let us know how it all goes. Here's his account of the first two days - the picture shows this trip's team, eager to get to work. Catch up on all Phil's entries by following this link to our Wheels blog page.

Day 1

4am start heading to the Airport where the rest of the team were all ready and waiting… a trouble-free journey with a brief stop in Istanbul to change planes before landing in Ghana. It felt just like home with long queues to get through immigration.

Once out of the Airport we met up with Ellen and Catherine before boarding an air conditioned coach, and I thought this was supposed to be a Wheels trip, as I was more used to less luxurious transport! But we have been really blessed as we will have use of it for the time we are here.

It was another 4 hours drive to Ho and the team were flagging so when we arrived at the hotel it was straight to bed with instructions for a bit of a lie in as the container hadn’t arrived yet.

Day 2

The team had breakfast and then we discussed the plan as we hadn’t got news on the container at that point.

The Occupational Therapists and Physios were sorting through the paper work ready for the distributions, during which news came that the container wouldn’t arrive till after dark. Apparently it had been taken the wrong way… via Uganda perhaps!

We needed to unload the container and sort the chairs today, so we were preparing for a long night with torches, I am always up for a challenge but this would be something new for me at least on a Wheels trip. So I know the team were sending up prayers about this.

We had the luxury therefore of a few hours down time, before we were due to visit the Regional Minister for the area (a Member of the Ghana government). It’s down to him that we have our luxury air-conditioned coach, so please thank God for him.

On the team this year we have some seasoned 'Wheel-ers', including Kathy & Graham, Pam, Helen, Jill and Kathy (yes, we have two so it could get confusing). Kathy is a physio doing her first trip with Wheels, so friends and family please know we will look after her.

We also have Will who’s our leader this year, although we have Reninca, fresh back from Haiti who started her new job as Through the Roof's International Mission Manager this week. She tells us that she’s in observation mode at the moment… personally I think it’s an excuse so she doesn’t have to do anything, but that's never going to wash with the team, so sorry Reninca!

We all get a Wheels tee or polo shirt for the trip but I think something went a little wrong with the size requests, as they were either too large or way too small for me so I squeezed into a t-shirt that would have fit me at 12 years old!

I felt kinda bad as the OTs and Physio were doing all the work at this point, sorting out the paper work as I just wanted to get stuck into something physical, but I was sure I’d have the opportunity later in the back of the container.

The other thing you need on a Wheels trip is the ability to be flexible, since just before we set off to meet the Regional Minister news of the container arriving came in and it had arrived at the former leper colony where the Chairs would be stored. It also turned out that the minister had gone to Accra instead so this meant we would hopefully have a chance to unload the container before sundown if we were quick. So thank you God for prayers answered again, as we really would have struggled if it had been dark.

We managed to get the container unloaded and chairs sorted out for the different distributions before the sun went down at around 6pm. So the team's already fully functioning like a well oiled machine. The hotel is good, and the food has been good so far, which is a real blessing and really helps when things get really full on.

We are having a few issues with the WiFi here at the hotel and some of the team are having issues with phones which haven’t been set up to roam in Ghana. So communications home may not be as good as we had hoped. For those friends and families who get texts from numbers they don’t recognise telling you that they miss and love you …. well, now you know why!

Tomorrow we head for Kandu for the first distribution. We are planning on having 5 distributions at different locations but please pray about this as things are a little fluid at the moment due to a few local issues.

Please pray generally for the logistics of the trip to all just work, we know many are praying for us and the team know and really appreciate this. Please know we are praying too for family and friends and loved ones. God blesses us in so many ways and for me this year has been learning to trust him more and more. He does provide and he does guide. One of my favourite verses is Proverbs 3v5, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.'

So as I write this and the rest of the team are getting tucked up in bed I’d just ask you to pray for the team, that we stay fit and well. Pray for Jill who still has a cough that it will go and not hinder her. Pray for the distributions that God will give us the right chairs for the right people. Pray that through the work we do here that people will see that God is behind it all and I want to pray for people to be saved and lives changed.

Although writing the blog captures some of the things we get get up to as a team it actually makes me focus on God, it's a little quiet time for me. It makes me think about how much God does for us, for those who we give chairs our to, how much he provides and how faithful he is. I love being able to share this with you and tell you what I hope you already know that God is such a great God. On that note I’ll say goodnight at the end of our first full day in Ghana.

Behind the Scenes with Wheels

Our Wheels team has just begun a new distribution in Ho, Ghana, so we thought we'd bring you a little taster of some of the work that goes into getting the chairs to their destination. Here's a short video from August's container loading at our new Aldershot warehouse. Have a look and let us know what you think. We hope you enjoy it!

The Wedding!

If I’m describing my wedding I need to start with the night before when the flowers arrived. My bouquet was heavy and it consisted of roses, carnations, lilies and a lot more lovely smelling blooms! All the flowers smelt! even the corsages! My bouquet was done up with a ribbon. The whole kitchen smelt of flowers. I always think that flowers make weddings smell like weddings, probably a strange concept for anyone with sight, but if you think of the amount of flowers at weddings, you’ll get my meaning.

We left for the rehearsal at around 7:45, and when we arrived at the chapel the flower smell was present there too which made it feel like we should be doing things for real, not just rehearsing. It felt odd to walk down the isle in trackies and a hoodie! but I had the same flutter of nerves that I imagine every other bride experiences! The same excitement and apprehension and butterflies in my tummy, even though I could only hear and not see the people watching us rehearse. It sounded like there was a lot of people there, but having 5 bridesmaids, and 3 page boys, as well as ushers, parents, best man etc didn’t even come close to the 130 guests we’d invited for the actual wedding.

The next day things started quietly, for me anyway! i enjoyed my 3 cups of tea, and listened to the bridesmaids and page boys getting ready. Sounds of hair driers, clothes rustling, and the smell of make up and hair products, and nail-varnish filled the air in my mum’s large kitchen. I was quite calm. then i decided to have a bath, and as soon as I decided to do that, the nerves racked up a bit! I had my bath whilst keeping 1 ear on the iPhone which kept announcing the time. I then went down to the sitting-room and had make up applied. Its a strange feeling. i never use make up, so for my wedding day i thought it would be different to ware some. It was skillfully applied for me by 2 of my friends, in between my nervous sips of tea and nibbles of biscuits. My tummy was churning!

My hair is long and curly, and for the day, after a lot of deliberation and different styles, we’d all decided on half up half down. I had the front of my hair pulled back, and split into 2 sections which were twisted and put into a ponytail, leaving the rest of my hair to curl down my back. The ponytail made sure that none of my hair would fall in my face, and the back of my hair was decorated with flowers and butterfly hair slides. Into the top of the ponytail my veil was pinned, and round the front of my head sat my tiara which was all one hight rather than the crown stile tiaras. It was covered with pearl beads.

My dress, which i’d practically starved (at least it felt like that!) to get into, was fitted at the top, with flowers on the shoulders at the front, and lacy sleeves which were decorated with diamonte beads. Just at the top of the skirt there were flowers which were pink, and then the skirt flowed out! It was covered in lace and frills, and brushed the floor on its own, without the yards and yards of lacy train spilling out behind me. At the back were about 30 little buttons which all had to be done up! My shoes were low heeled sandals with diamontes on them. I felt like a fairy-tail in the dress!especially when i walked and heard the swish of the material all round me! I have never felt more special. and I use the word “felt” in two different ways, One was the feeling of being special and of knowing i was in a dress that everyone would notice, and that I was getting married. The other, is that the dress felt special to the touch! It was tactile, it was detailed, and i felt special in it because I’ve never worn anything like it before. No, i couldn’t look in a mirror, but I felt a million dollars, as people assured me I looked it. but I could feel every detail, and hear every rustle of the dress, veil, and my hair. I could smell the flowers, the hair spray on my hair, and my perfume. All together, it was a wonderful aroma, and one which will always bring back memories of my wedding.

Getting in the car was interesting! All the layers of the train were piled on my lap when I had slid in, and the flowers were placed on top. I had to try and stop my bracelet catching on the folds of dress! Then getting out? Finding the ground through all the folds of dress was hard, but once I was out, i had time to notice the sun was shining and it was a lovely day! The bridesmaids and page boys took their places, and dad and me stood ready to enter the chapel. I’ll never forget hearing the first notes of the wedding march, and how my dress swished behind me as we traveled slowly as possible up the short isle. I could sense and hear people all round me, and could tell the chapel was full! When we all arrived at the front and the first hymn was announced, I could hear from the singing that there was a lot of people there!
The vows said, it was time to put on the rings. Will and I had discussed how we would know which finger to put them on. I pointed out that will would have a clue, because I would be waring my engagement ring. Each time Stan (who was performing the seromony) needed us to do or say something in turn, he would touch our hands so we knew when to speak, and who should speak. Everything went smoothly, and it was time to sign the register before we knew it!
Since we can’t read print, the details from the register were read out to us, and we were shown where to sign. I don’t have much of a signature, but it must have been enough because the registerer soon announced “Philippa and William, your marriage has been registered”. Throughout the signing, the sweet sound of my sister in law’s singing filtered through to us. We then had a slide show of photos shown for the guests to watch of us growing up.

After the service, we walked out of the chapel arm in arm and unaided, as any other couple would. We had practiced the root and it was simple enough, we just walked straight out, followed by the rest of the wedding party. This made us feel independent.

we were then lead over to the grass field for the dreaded photographs! But the sun which made everyone else squint was no trouble for us. So for what felt like an hour but was really only about 20 minutes, we stood and smiled in every direction, following the shouts of “this way!” “Phil, Will, look at me!” “jest one more!”

We traveled to the reception, met our guests, and then were lead into the reception hall for the meal. I will never forget the round of applause, or the sound of my heels on the floor, accompanied by the swish of my dress as we made our way to the top table.
We had chosen an informal reception with no seating plan, just letting guests choose who they wanted to sit with. This was our idea, because of weddings and formal occasions we have both attended in the past where we have been sat with people we didn’t know and were not able to start conversations. We wanted people to feel comfortable.

The reception smelt of food mostly. We had a buffet, and it was lovely food! The hall was full of chatter and everyone seemed to he having a lovely time. Music played low in the background.

We had arranged for a synthetic ice rink for our guest’s entertainment. All the afternoon we could hear the sounds of skates in the background, and the happy sound of people enjoying themselves!
Our wedding cake was 4 tiers high, and was very tactile, with butterflies all over it! We cut the cake, and then changed to go ice skating! We had previously had some photos in full wedding outfits on the ice, and W was amazed how much like laminate floor it felt to walk on. But after we were changed, we asked for the rink to be cleared and instead of a first dance, we had a first skate. We have never liked dancing, and didn’t want to make ourselves feel stupid on our wedding day by just shuffling around waving our arms, so we ddid something we both knew we could do. to skate on synthetic ice was an experience! my feet seemed to go sideways instead of forwards! Still it was a lot of fun!

It felt strange without the folds of dress everywhere,! Earlier when we had been opening some of our wedding cards, and feeling each card in turn as they were all tactile, I’d been taking it in turns to admire the cards and my dress train, which was easier to feel when I was sitting down.

We set off for our honeymoon in style, with all the guests lining up to sing “congratulations!” while forming an arch with their hands which we passed underneath.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day. It was wonderful in every way and I shall remember the sounds, smells, and everything my whole life long. We have a video as well, which helps us to remember. since photographs are useless to us, this is our way of remembering. plus as its a video we can show it to whoever wants to see while following the audio ourselves. We have also kept things like pressed flowers from my bouquet, ribbon off the bouquet and the cake, my veil and dress, shoes, hair slide, tiara, will’s suit and cufflinks, and a whole load of other things which will be our photographs of the day. Not only that, but when we arrived home, we found mum had left the balloons from the reception in our flat, as well as the flowers that were still alive. This enabled us to feel the arch of balloons which had been over the top table.

So though we couldn’t see our day, and though we couldn’t see each other, we will both remember it for the rest of our lives in so many different ways. We can’t gaze at our photos, but we can remember our wedding each time we feel the dress or smell flowers. We couldn’t see each other, but we love each other. and we will see in heaven. And though the planning was not accessible for us, the wedding was.

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