Disabled Motoring UK is a non-governmental organization founded in the UK in 1922 and was recently known as Mobilise. It is a campaigning charity for disabled drivers, passengers, and blue badge

Disabled parking permit

A disabled parking permit, also known as a handicapped permit, disabled placard, disabled badge and "Blue Badge" in the European Union, is displayed upon parking a vehicle carrying a person whose mobility would be otherwise significantly impaired by one or more of age, illness, disability or...

 holders in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. Disabled Motoring UK lobbies the government and businesses to improve parking, access, and refuelling services for disabled people.
Disabled Motoring UK does not just campaign for motorists but also supports scooter and wheelchair users, as well as the families and carers of disabled people.

History

Disabled Motoring UK was formed as the Mobilise Organisation in 2005 from the merger of the Disabled Drivers' Motor Club (founded in 1922) and the Disabled Drivers' Association (founded in 1948 as the Invalid Tricycle Association). The DDMC was formed by seven ex-World War I veterans (with just six legs between them). The DDMC was a campaigning organisation from the very beginning and, even in the 1920s, it led a campaign to ensure that disabled drivers were permitted to drive cars as the Government had proposed banning them from obtaining licences in the Road Traffic Bill. It was one of the first, if not the first, organisation of disabled people, entirely run by disabled people.

The DDA began its life when the founder, O.A Denley ("Denny"), was paralysed from the waist down after contracting polio. Denny had to leave the Royal Navy and his dream to visit Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 appeared to be over. However in 1947 he decided not to let his disability stop his fulfilling a lifelong ambition and set about conquering the Swiss Alps

Swiss Alps

The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....

.

Starting from Greenwich

Greenwich

Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...

 he took his Argson mobility trike through France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and on into Basel

Basel

Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...

 Switzerland. With BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...

 covering the attempt, he scaled three mountains with a combined height of 18676 feet (5,692.4 m), and descended into the Rhone Valley. After arriving in Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

 he headed back to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and was received by the Members of Parliament in London. Taking momentum from this feat he founded the Invalid Tricycle Association which evolved into the charity today

Information

Disabled Motoring UK is currently campaigning on the issues of:

• abuse of disabled parking bays
• reform of the Blue Badge scheme
• accessibility of city centres
• reform of Disability Living Allowance
  Disability Living Allowance
  Disability living allowance is a non-means-tested, non-contributory benefit which can be claimed by a UK resident aged under 65 years who has care and/or mobility needs as a result of a mental or physical disability...
  
  
• lack of parking at healthcare facilities

as well as many more issues facing Disabled Motorists.

2011 Alps Challenge

From the 4th to the 16th of June 2011 Disabled Motoring UK is attempting to recreate the journey of their founder by restoring the original Argson mobility trike used by Denley and following his original route through the Alps. The original trike is being restored by Corporal George Bascope and Craftsman Ben Haywood of the Royal Light Dragoons in preparation for the trip.

On the 4th of June 2011 the trike will set off from Greenwich and head south to Newhaven

Newhaven, East Sussex

Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...

, cross the Channel

English Channel

The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...

 to Dieppe

Dieppe, Seine-Maritime

Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...

 and follow the original route. The team will head to Paris and then on to Basel. From Basel the trike will climb three mountains, and take part in the Tour de Suisse

Tour de Suisse

The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...

, before heading back to London for a reception at the Palace of Westminster.

The team will meet up with their French and Swiss counterparts, as well as government members tasked with disability rights. Celebrities such as Adrian Adepitan

Adrian Adepitan

Ade Adepitan MBE is a British television presenter and wheelchair basketball player. He uses a wheelchair as a result of contracting polio as a child which led to the loss of use of his left leg.- Early life :...

are assisting the team in taking the trike on its journey.