Recare keeps disabled photographer mobile through shared passion for motorsport

Steve is a motorsport marshal who survived a highly publicised near-fatal crash at Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2000. Steve miraculously recovered and went on to marshal at around 30–40 international motorsport events annually including the Le Mans 24 Hours, Petit Le Mans at Atlanta and Goodwood meetings. He retired from marshalling in 2017 to turn his efforts to motorsport photography and writing and in 2020, he became a Recare customer. Richard Holland-Oakes, Co-founder of the mobility equipment specialist Recare, is also an avid motorsport fan and follows Steve on social media. They connected and following a home assessment, Steve received his first Ottobock Avantgarde outdoor wheelchair. 

Progressing on to 2023, Steve’s service to motorsport was officially recognised when he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Motorsport UK. Previous names who have achieved this award include Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Frank Williams and Murray Walker. As Steve has continued his advisory and photographic work this year, he needed a second, new wheelchair for indoor use. His old NHS wheelchair had become ‘tired’ and so he decided to self-fund another Ottobock product for easier propulsion and greater comfort. 

Steve starts his story:

“Motorsport is a shared interest I have with Richard, the owner of Recare. He follows my social media and likes the photographs I take. In 2020, I realised I was struggling to push myself in my wheelchair so I decided to contact Richard to see if he could help me. I needed a better solution for getting around. Plus 20 years of using a manual wheelchair had taken its toll on my shoulders. My wife and I were looking to go on holiday in Scotland in our motorhome and knew that hilly places like Edinburgh were going to be impossible to get round.”

Richard recommended an Ottobock Avantgarde XXL2 wheelchair for Steve with Alber E-motion wheels for powered assistance. This combination meant Steve had greater comfort and could self-propel more easily as two motors, one on each wheel, would engage and drive him forward every time he pushed the wheel rims. Steve continues:

“I was supplied with my first Ottobock wheelchair about a month after Richard assessed me. The E-motion power assistance makes such a huge difference whether I am self-propelling or when my wife is pushing me. She says I feel lightweight to push now. I still tend to use my TGA mobility scooter for longer distances and used to combine both when I was marshalling. I would fold up my Avantgarde and carry it on the floorwell of my Vita 4 scooter. I would then transfer into it for more close-range stuff when I was in position.”

In the autumn of this year, Steve decided it was time to replace his indoor wheelchair so once again contacted Recare for help. Together with Richard’s support, he has taken ownership of a second Ottobock Avantgarde wheelchair; however, this time it has been fitted with shock absorbing Spinery wheels.  

In summary, Steve is delighted with the ongoing service he receives from Recare and thanks to the flexibility of having two wheelchairs and an offroad mobility scooter, he is already planning his attendance at numerous motorsport events in 2025. He sums up by saying:

“I think Recare are damn good. They are headed up by someone who’s a leading expert in the field and has been for over 45 years. When Richard has visited me at home or I have been to his headquarters, we have always explored all the options together to find the best practical solution. He looks at each customer’s situation holistically. My latest wheelchair doesn’t change how I go about doing things but is more supportive and far easier to push. It’s orange, it has to be as it’s my signature colour as a marshal. It’s bright, modern looking and personal to me. I’d absolutely recommend Richard and his team.”