THE Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Bolton will soon be jetting off to Nicaragua taking with them a special gift - a wheelchair.

Councillor Alan Rushton and his wife Audrey are going to visit their daughter Judith, a physiotherapist in paediatrics, who has taken a sabbatical from her job in Canada to work for an aid agency.

The couple will be taking a wheelchair - donated by Horwich firm Rivington Motability and Disability Equipment, formerly Millercare, following a plea by the Deputy Mayoress - which will be used by some of Judith's patients.

Judith, who works at the Vancouver Child Development Centre, has joined the International Co-operation for Development, an organisation based in London which sends health and other professionals overseas.

She is working in the northern mountainous region of Nicaragua and is the only British person in the area. Her work involves setting up clinics in some 64 villages for children with special needs, some with cerebral palsy.

"The families are very very poor, many carrying children for two hours to get to the clinic," said Mrs Rushton.

"Judith has an ancient truck but at the moment there is hardly any money for petrol to visit the families.

"She was asked by the parents to see if she could do something to help the children and wondered if we could do anything. The wheelchair will be great."

Mrs Rushton used to teach at Lord Street Primary School in Horwich and decided to approach Steven Kenny, Millercare's branch manager, who was only too pleased to help.

The wheelchair is ideal. Although very robust it is fairly light and collapsable which will make it easy for the couple to include with their luggage on the plane.

Cllr Rushton was also given another wheelchair by Bolton General Hospital which was in need of repair. Cllr Rushton has done the repairs himself and the chair will also be bound for Nicaragua when their other daughter flies out at a later date.

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