Devoted son builds his 96-year-old war hero dad a unique all-terrain wheelchair

Eddie Shaw, a veteran of the Second World War and Korean War - loves taking trips to the seaside with son Peter, 60. But when his wheelchair got bogged down in the sand at Barmouth Beach in Gwynedd, Wales last summer, Peter decided his dad needed a more sturdy form of transport. He and three friends spent 30 hours constructing a mobility scooter out of a old motorised wheelbarrow used by builders to carry rubble. It has a top speed of 8.3mph and can tackle almost any terrain in any weather. Yesterday (Tues), Peter, a dad-of-one and plumber from Ellesmere, Shrops., said: "I'd seen motorised wheelbarrows used on building sites and I thought that would make a much better wheelchair for my dad. A local company donated one which was no longer in use and we fitted it with a 4.5 horsepower Honda engine. We welded a steel frame onto it and affixed a seat with armrests. The seat was taken from an LGV van and came with a seatbelt attached.”