A motorised wheelchair stolen from outside a disabled woman's Braintree home has been found.
The £1,000 wheelchair was recovered after an appeal was launched in the Essex Chronicle last week to help buy a new one.
Diane Dewing, 61, is crippled with arthritis and relies on her invalid husband Peter for constant care.
She was left distraught after callous thieves stole the wheelchair from outside her flat in Godric Place.
After her plight was highlighted in the paper a friend spotted the abandoned wheelchair in Lancaster Way in the town.
It had been dumped with one of the brakes damaged and a control lever at the back ripped off.
Despite the damage Mr Dewing is delighted it has now been returned and is hoping insurance money will cover the cost of repairs.
He said he had been overwhelmed by people's kindness and support.
Mr Dewing, 61, has been struggling with a manual wheelchair following the theft but is unable to push his wife far because he suffers from chronic lung disease, including an anonymous donation of £50.
Chronicle readers immediately responded and sent in donations to buy a replacement.The appeal has now been closed and any money unreturned will be donated to Braintree's Tabor Centre for physically disabled adults, which Mrs Dewing regularly attends.
Published Friday August 6, 2004
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