When I was a child my dad used to say I needed shoes made of iron because of how quickly I managed to destroy them. I never really understood his concern but I’m starting to have some sympathy with him now.

But it’s not shoes that I’m worried about – it’s my wheelchairs. They keep breaking. First it was the brakes on my all terrain chair, then a crucial screw came out of my everyday chair, and this afternoon the backrest of my back-up chair ripped.

This string of breakages definitely isn’t down to carelessness on my part – anyone who knows me will know how much attention I lavish on my wheels. It’s a mix of bad luck, manufacturing faults, and the strain of my wriggly body.

Fingers crossed, all of them will all be back in tip-top condition very soon. An iron wheelchair would be very hard to push!