Cheshire care provider helps man told he would never walk

Bart Gee was born with a disability called Arthrogryposis, a rare condition of joint contractures that limits his range of motion, leaving him unable to bend his arms, legs or fingers. British Paralympic table tennis player Will Bayley MBE has the same condition. 

Doctors said Bart would never walk, may never have the strength to be able to sit up and would have a bleak outlook to life. 

Today, he regularly travels around the North West giving motivational talks to school children, churches and prisons – with the help of the team at SureCare Central Cheshire. 

The Nantwich-based business was established five years ago by friends Tina Jones and Kirstie Hercules and includes over 40 care workers and six office-based staff, providing a range of care services to clients in Nantwich, Audlem, Crewe and rural areas in south Cheshire, 

Kirstie said: “Bart has been a client for a number of years and we love working with him. 

“He found us online and got in touch to ask if we could help to support him in a hotel when he’s travelling to the North West on business as a motivational speaker. 

“This was the first time we had provided care in a hotel but the Premier Inn have been great to work with. Bart is a pleasure to visit and the hotel staff are used to seeing our team, making the process of access smooth and welcoming. 

“Tina and I both live locally and we don’t just run the business, we provide care ourselves as well as having a great team to help us. 

“Bart calls us when he’s due to stay and we make sure we’re there to provide him with high quality personal care. This can include helping him to get dressed and ready for his day, as he has walking issues and can’t raise his arms over his head. One of our care coordinators Jess even goes swimming with him sometimes. 

“It’s great to be able to support disabled people who are working but just need a bit of help to be able to travel. We’re proud to be making a difference to the people we help.” 

Bart, 42, who lives in Wiltshire, said: “When I was born, doctors said that I would never be able to walk, and they didn’t even know if I would have the strength to sit up. 

“They also said there was no chance of playing the piano and no-one knew if I would even have the strength to press a key down. I started playing piano when I was five years old and have gradually been able to do more and more. 

"I enjoy being independent which has been against the odds, as has completing a 5km swim, three triathlons, learning to play the drums, table tennis and pool, and to drive. 

“I’m based in Wiltshire but travel up to the North West regularly for work. I do a lot of motivational speaking in school assemblies in primary and secondary schools as well as in churches and prisons. I’m particularly busy in Cheshire because so many head teachers keep recommending me. 

I wouldn’t be able to do the job I do without the help of brilliant agencies like SureCare. The team at SureCare Central Cheshire are my go-to service provider whenever I’m working in the North West. 

“I always stay in the same hotel – the Premier Inn hotel in Crewe – when I’m in the area because the SureCare team are based just a few minutes away. Even if I’ve got an hour’s drive the next morning, I’ll book in there because they’re such a reliable team and they never let me down. 

“When I’m away I need to organise some care to help get me ready in the mornings. Being physically disabled I need help with certain tasks. I have a number of different people on the SureCare team looking after me and some that I see regularly.  

“They come to my hotel and help me in the morning and the evening. I’m then ok for the rest of the day and can shoot off to work in my adapted car. It all works really well. They even take me swimming sometimes.

“I’m so grateful to lead an amazing and normal life. Before I started staying away on my own, my parents were worried in case I got into a difficult situation. Now I use SureCare, and they know how reliable they are, it gives them peace of mind. They’re also really pleased that I am self-employed and doing a job that I enjoy so much.  

“I really love my job and seeing the response from my audiences is always amazing. At the end of every talk, I always get lots of children coming up to me asking me loads of questions. 

“I tell children about my disability, about tackling what life throws at you, and that whenever you are put in a difficult situation you can still overcome your challenges. 

“I do workshops and get them to try tasks as if they have my physical disability. They have to work out how to do something with restricted movement. For me difficult means possible. Hard means possible. Challenging means possible."