“I am desperate for new information, all the time!” says Mike when asked to describe himself. “I will never be too old or too smart to learn something new.”

With a background as a motor mechanic, and big motor brands such as Chrysler and Jaguar on his CV, Mike has always been interested in how things work, but more importantly, how they can be improved. Having spent a short time in hospital in the 1990s (and in hospital wheelchairs), it didn’t take long for Mike to start critically looking at the chairs and how modern technology and materials simply hadn’t been considered in their design for over 50 years. “I also felt that it was just as easy to make them attractive as it was to make them ugly, so I set about designing my special gearbox, and then the chair itself.”

Mike came to Outset for support with the paperwork side of starting a business. “The people in the workshops were great, and Pam Sekula (my Outset Advisor) put up with me very well! I am a hyperactive pensioner so can be a handful at times but, despite all this, I found the course enjoyable and non-stuffy.”

Mike’s new wheelchairs are made from the same lightweight materials used in racecars, boats and even aircraft – but uncommon in wheelchairs! “The gearbox is unique in its design and is very user-friendly. When combined into one package, an interesting and unusual product is created. This business has the potential to create jobs and skilled training in Penzance, and to carry the legend ‘made in Cornwall’ on an innovative and unique product worldwide.”

Mike hopes to get up and running as a manufacturing company to create full-time, well-paid jobs in the Penzance area, and show that it is possible to succeed at any age in Cornwall!

Outset Cornwall has been funded by the ERDF Convergence programme which invests in activities that will have a long-term impact on the growth and develop of the Cornish Economy.