“Every problem has a solution. You just have to be creative enough to find it” — Travis Kalanick. Life took an unplanned detour for Helen when she lost both her legs above the knees and both hands due to meningococcal septicaemia. She faced this difficult time courageously and kept moving her life in a positive direction. As a disabled driver Helen experienced difficulties with the ticketing machines at parking facilities and as a disability rights campaigner, she vigorously pursued the solution to this issue. She created a brilliant and very useful solution called “People Parking”, which provides a centralized place to look up all parking related information that helps the disabled community as well as others. Helen is the brand ambassador of AutoChair and has received the prestigious MBE in recognition of her services for disabled people.

What inspired you to launch People's Parking? What roadblocks did you face when you launched this venture?H: As a disabled driver I’d struggled for a long time getting in and out of car parks because as a quadruple amputee I was unable to take the ticket from the machine or insert it when leaving. I thought that if I knew in advance which car parks had alternative ways for me to enter, such as a push button to call for help, then it would make my life easier. My idea then grew as I realised that there were other types of motorist who would benefit from knowing in advance the facilities that a car park provided such as electric vehicle charging points, parking for parents and those without a height restriction. Although motorists can currently use other web sites and apps to find some of this information I wanted to put it all in one place and enable motorists to search for a combination of different facilities such as disabled people driving wheelchair accessible vehicles that didn’t fit in a lot of car parks. I also wanted people to be able to search for a location and how they wanted to pay as well as providing other information such as whether there was a disabled toilet. People’s Parking is currently just for UK car parks but hopefully one day I’ll go worldwide.
I was really lucky and had a lot of support from the International Parking Community (IPC) who have helped promote my business as well as some of the big car park operators such as NCP who have put over 100 car parks into my scheme already.

Can you tell us about some of the notable projects that your consultancy has helped?H: One of the most notable projects I’ve had the pleasure of working on is being an advocate for Quantum which was invented by the company Q’Straint. Quantum is an amazing piece of technology which secures wheelchair uses on buses at the touch of a button so wheelchair users can activate it themselves in less than 30 seconds. At the moment in the UK there is nothing to stop a wheelchair sliding about on the bus except a pole that doesn’t do anything to stop forward momentum and I’m hoping that most bus companies will consider Quantum as a much better way of securing wheelchairs on buses.

How has your time as a journalist allowed you to help spread awareness about an inclusive society?H: After I became disabled I had no idea what I was going to do. I had a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology but not being able to perform basic laboratory skills I was virtually unemployable in this sector. However, I did end up being in the news a lot talking about my illness and being disabled and so it seemed a natural progression to train as a journalist and I was fortunate to get on the job training with ITV Anglia News. I worked in TV for eight years before leaving to concentrate on campaigning for disabled people. However, I have continued to write for many online magazines and blogs such as Autochair, Allied Mobility and Motability and through this I’ve been able to highlight the importance of an inclusive society and also the difficulties that disabled people still face. I also did a few reports for ITV Anglia last year on issues such as pavement parking and bus travel for disabled people.

Can you tell us about your life changing event? How did you prepare yourself for the challenges you were about to face?H: I contracted meningococcal septicaemia when I was 22 years old and the result of this was that I lost both my legs above the knee and both my hands. I also suffered from considerable amounts of internal damage. I could not prepare for this in any way as one moment I was completely fit and healthy and 24 hours later my parents were told to expect the worst as the doctors thought I wouldn’t make it. When I came out of my coma I had no idea what had happened to me and it took a long time for me to realise what life without limbs was really going to be like. It was a very difficult time for me for many years as I had to build my life from scratch. This included learning to use prosthetics as well as being independent.

What do you consider to be your biggest achievement and why?H: There are lots of things that I’m really proud of, like studying for a law degree with the Open University and getting a first, being awarded an MBE by Prince Charles for services to disabled people and breaking a British swimming record for 200m Individual medley. However, I consider my biggest achievement is not giving up when faced with the most horrendous injuries. There were times when I felt like never getting out of bed or leaving the house but I used to tell myself that things could only get better and gradually they did. I could have done nothing but I didn’t and I like to think that in my own way I’ve made life better for other disabled people.

Who is your inspiration?H: I am inspired by people who despite the difficulties they face in life just get on with it.

What do you like to do when you are with your family/friends?H: My family are dotted all over the UK and Europe but we all like to get together when we can and often have a holiday somewhere. This year we’re off to Devon for a week in the summer.

What are your other hobbies?H: I have a big hairy labradoodle called Fairport and I love taking him out for walks in the countryside. I’m also a swimmer and I swim several times a week with a swimming club.

What tips/advice do you have for those in our community who wants to make a positive changes in their community?H: I think my biggest tip is don’t wait for someone else to start a group or organise a campaign, instead what about doing it yourself? It’s much easier these days to find other people through social media who are concerned about the same issue and you can arrange a get together at a local café and start from there.

Any special message for our community?H: Use your disability to your advance. Disabled people are usually really good at solving problems as we have to do that everyday of our lives.