Man gifted free e-scooter rides to help care for blind wife in Eastwood

Stephen Ward, aged 52, lived with his wife Lorraine in the town, but they separated last year.

They remain good friends despite going their separate ways, said Stephen, who regularly visits her from his new place in Sherwood to do some jobs around the house and look after her garden.

Stephen makes his daily journey to Eastwood using Nottingham’s shared e-scooter facility.

He said: “My wife and I are best friends, but eight miles is too far for me to walk.

“Without shared e-scooters, I would not be able to visit so often.

“That would be heartbreaking.

“We still do as much as we can for each other, she is extraordinary."

But recently, as someone who relies on Universal Credit to make ends meet, Stephen was recently struggling to afford the cost of all the journeys.

After hearing Stephen’s moving story, Superpedestrian, the company which runs the current e-scooter trial scheme in Nottingham, decided to help out and give him free rides for the rest of the year.

“I'd been spending about £300 per month to visit Lorraine,” said Stephen, “I didn’t have much cash and I didn't know what to do.

“When I was told I could have free rides after my name was picked out of a hat, I was almost in tears, it really has changed my life.

“E-scooters are so nippy and they give me the freedom to explore.

“I can choose to take a different route or even just discover new places along the way.

“I can’t do that with other public transport and I never learned to drive.”

Jean Andrews, Superpedestrian policy director, said: “When I heard Stephen’s story, my heart was touched.

“Shared e-scooters have been a lifeline to many throughout the Covid pandemic.

“I’m delighted to confirm Superpedestrian is providing our on-demand, low-carbon and fun transport solution to Stephen, completely free of charge, for the rest of this year.”