Richard’s story
After experiencing a life-changing accident in 2009, Richard was inspired to self-build a trio of fully accessible holiday homes. In 2022 this became a reality, and Richard and Helen welcomed their first visitors to Hawthorn Lodge, followed soon after by Lime Lodge in 2023. Oak Lodge opened in 2026.
“In June 2009, I was paragliding above Samoëns, a resort in the central French Alps, when I fell from the sky. I was attempting a landing at the take-off site above the village and fell about 500 feet through the air onto rocks. The fall broke my back, and I ended up with a burst fracture and became an incomplete paraplegic.
Confined in a wheelchair and told it wasn’t likely that I would walk again, I have fought hard over the years to regain my mobility and to prove them wrong. It has been a long journey to get back on my feet and return to reasonable health, but I have succeeded and learned to walk again.
During this long period of recovery, I discovered that there was little accommodation in Mid Wales and elsewhere that provided short breaks or holidays for severely disabled people and their carers, and I was determined to do something about it. I decided to custom-build holiday lodges that were fully accessible so that disabled people could also enjoy a good holiday in comfort.
Since then, I have designed and built three holiday lodges from scratch, with help from my partner Helen and others. Our holiday lodges are fully accessible and allow someone with limited mobility the freedom to move around more easily.
It has taken considerable effort and energy to reach this stage, but if you are determined, you can achieve much.”
