A WHEELCHAIR-bound West Devon youngster has his sights set on a new, specialised chair that will enable him to tackle the outdoor life he loves so much — and one of the biggest quiz nights ever to be staged in Tavistock will help raise funds towards the major cost.

Teenager Alex Phipps, 14, is in need of an all-terrain powered wheelchair, without which he will be unable to do the things in which he takes pleasure, such as going out onto the moorland just past his back garden in Whitchurch, and visiting outdoor music festivals.

Even day-to-day obstacles such as the steep driveway up to his house and the winter weather can prove too much for his manual wheelchair. But at just over £14,000, the new chair is not easily obtainable.

Alex suffers with Emanuel Syndrome, a rare condition caused by a chromosome abnormality. It means he is physically and mentally disabled, has severe learning difficulties, is unable to talk and is totally reliant on his parents' care.

He attends the Ellen Tinkham School in Exeter, where he takes part in drama lessons, singing, music therapy and messy play. He has also recently started getting respite at the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust in Ivybridge and attends a Saturday Club in Okehampton.

Until now, Alex's parents, Ian and Helen, have been using a three-wheeler buggy to get him out and about when his manual wheelchair is unsuitable, but he has now grown out of it.

Helen said: 'Alex loves being outside, he loves animals and people-watching, we spend a lot of time just walking around town — he won't let us stop.

'He also loves watching the ponies on the moors and his grandmother lives just across the moor so its nice to walk across to see her.

'With this chair we'll be able to do a lot more, and we'll be able to do more locally — Tavistock is quite a hilly place.

'Even the youth club is up a slope and hard for us to get to.

'Basically, it will mean he will have a more inclusive life, especially in the summer.

'We'll be able to go to the beach — Alex loves the beach, his face lights up, but most chairs can't even go across gravel, let alone sand. This new chair can go over sand, ice and snow.'

The chair has a tilt and rise system which means when it is on a slope, the user stays at a normal angle and cannot fall out and the seat can rise to put the user in a higher position.

Ian said: 'He loves music and we try to go to a number of music festivals every year like Womad and the Wychwood Festival. We couldn't go to Chagstock, which we would have liked to have gone to, because of the terrain.

'With the riser system on the new chair it means Alex can be at the same height as everyone standing at the festivals. You wouldn't think about it if you're not disabled, but obviously you're sat in a crowd and can't see anything.'

The cost of the specialised chair is £14,010.60. The family have so far raised £2,400 towards that figure and were pledged another £2,500 from Family Fund and Children Today if they could match the donation, but unfortunately, the allotted time for doing so has now run out.

Children's disability charity Newlife Foundation is now helping the Phipps family in fundraising for the remaining £9,110.60, but the charity is experiencing increased demands on its resources.

Newlife chief executive officer Sheila Brown said: 'Calls to Newlife's Nurse Helpline have shot up a massive 73% compared to this time last year. It is imperative that Alex has this equipment as soon as possible so Newlife is appealing to people in the region to help us raise the money.'

Ian and Helen are also doing what they can to raise the sum and have expressed thanks to everyone who has helped them so far.

Helen added: 'We have had great support from local people. We're really lucky to live in the Tavistock community.'

In a bid to raise more money towards the total, the Ordulph Arms in Tavistock will be hosting a multi-media, interactive quiz night on December 27.

Being organised by friends of the pub, Hannah Rowlands, Hallam Riggs and Richard Wright, it is hoped to be the biggest quiz night The Ordulph has ever held, with a maximum capacity of 140 people.

Hannah said: 'We were planning to do an end of year quiz but the owner Andy had heard about Alex and asked us if we would be up for making it a charity quiz. The last one we held we had 126 people but we're hoping to increase that this time. The quiz will be on everything to do with 2011.'

Hannah said: 'This poor lad is so restricted by his circumstances — not many people have that kind of money to spend. I think it's good for the community to pull together to give the family some help.'

Hannah is appealing for prizes for a raffle that will accompany the quiz night. Anyone who is able to donate, contact the Ordulph Arms on 01822 615048.

Anyone who would like to help the Phipps family can do so by emailing Ian and Helen at [email protected]">[email protected]