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Peter Nicholls raised £760 from 36 supporters
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Closed 06/05/2020
Iʼve raised £760 to help severe ME/CFS sufferer replace the loss of PIPs benefit and motability car, during lengthy wait for appeal tribunal.
- Stoke-on-Trent, UK
- Funded on Wednesday, 6th May 2020
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Story
I have ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, chronic depression, nerve entrapments, and arthritic wear in my neck. These conditions leave me exhausted and debilitated for much of the time. Even doing simple tasks can disproportionally tire me out and fatigue my body to quite an extreme extent. Not only is my mobility substantially restricted at all times, there are many days when I am not even able to leave my bed due to fatigue, and lack of energy and strength. I am unable to work, due to my conditions.
For 7 years I received Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and under both I also qualifying for the enhanced mobility component. This meant that I could use this part of my benefit to lease a mobility car from the Motability scheme.
However, I was reassessed in January and the assessor deemed that I need a lower level of support. Immediately my income was cut by £50 per week. I appealed unsuccessfully through the Mandatory Reconsideration process, and now have also applied for an appeal at the appeals tribunal court. The wait for this appeal is going to be as long as after Christmas 2018. In the mean time, Motability are taking my car off me as they are no longer getting payments from the benefit agency.
The loss of income is becoming a struggle, but the loss of my mobility car is absolutely devastating. A car gives someone like me freedom, it is autonomous mobility. I have no idea how I’m going to cope. Getting to a from bus stops is very hard. Buses end up causing me such pain and harm, that I cannot do anything once I’ve been on a journey. Taxis might be ok for one or two trips per week, but the cost soon becomes intolerable, and they restrict getting out of the house to just 2 or 3 times a week.
I am appealing with the support of Disability Solutions West Midlands. They have an excellent record of overturning 90% of decisions on appeal, and on evidence say my case is good. Therefore, once I finally get my appeal heard it is very likely I will have everything reinstated. However, the waiting times for tribunal dares have grown signifycantly due to tye amount if people now appealing this systemically broken assessment
In the mean time, however, I need help to replace the loss of income and help in running and maintaining a car. Without the car, I'll be effectively house bound and unable to do everyday things, such as shopping, visiting the doctor and hospital, visiting friends, going for coffee or enjoying the outdoors. All of these things are vital to my on going therapy.
I’ve been trying to self support by selling possetions, but i am running out of things I can sell
Thank you for your support and consideration.
Updates
4
- 6 years ago
Peter Nicholls
6 years agoI've complained to Capita about the assessor and the assessment. They've basically said, you can't prove it, it's not our fault, we don't believe you, even though I had a friend with me who witnessed and transcribed the assessment! PIP allows me to live alone independently and remain mobile and able to get out the house. I was refused, essentially, because, thanks to getting pip, I could do the the very things I was getting pip to enable. It's disgusting. I'm taking the complaint to the next level now.
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- 6 years ago
Peter Nicholls
6 years agoThank you for your support. I have been made aware that the wait for appeal tribunals in my area is now at least 12 months. In my case this mean I won’t get a hearing for my appeal until at least April next year.
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- 6 years ago
Peter Nicholls
6 years agoIf you can help further, I would be enormously great full. However, I do appreciate that times hard for many of us. I look forward to winning my appeal so that I may pay forward the generosity shown to me in this difficult time. Thank you.
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Peter Nicholls started crowdfunding
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Supporters
36
Philip Gould
Mar 1, 2019
Sorry to hear of your situation Peter. Hope you win the appeal and everything gets back on track!
Jamie Watson
Feb 26, 2019
Sorry I’m not able to donate more but hope this helps and best of luck with the funding and support.
£10.00
Philip Gould
Feb 1, 2019
Sorry to hear of your situation Peter. Hope you win the appeal and everything gets back on track!
Allen Vincent
Jan 12, 2019
Is it to late for the charity section of Motability to help in some way? Keep your spirits up. I know how difficult and impossible life can get. Don't forget things like Equality Act 2010 & HR.
£10.00
Illinois cook
Jan 1, 2019
£5.00
Philip Gould
Jan 1, 2019
Sorry to hear of your situation Peter. Hope you win the appeal and everything gets back on track!
Philip Gould
Dec 1, 2018
Sorry to hear of your situation Peter. Hope you win the appeal and everything gets back on track!
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About CrowdfundingAbout the fundraiser
Peter Nicholls
Stoke-on-Trent, UK
Before I became ill with CFS/ME and fibromyalgia etc., I was a primary school teacher and music specialist. I did my PGCE in key stage 2 - 7. I studied composition under Prof. Andrew Downes at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and trombone under the late Reg Reid.