An innovative children’s charity is flying high after winning an international award for a chair which has enabled disabled children to travel abroad for the first time.

MERU, based on the Eclipse Estate in West Hill, Epsom, designs and makes life-changing equipment for disabled and young people.

It has won a Crystal Cabin Award at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg for its TravelChair, which was nominated in the passenger comfort hardware category.

The TravelChair offers comfortable, postural support for severely disabled children, aged three to 11, to allow them to travel by air in comfort and safety. 

It fits in most airlines and Virgin Atlantic has just bought 25 of them.

Rob Douglas, MERU’s chairman, said: "Our team has worked incredibly hard not just to meet the requirements of a variety of severe or complex disability conditions but also to satisfy stringent manufacturing and airline regulations.

"Winning this award is a massive boost and indicates to the airline industry just how valuable a product TravelChair is."    

TravelChair designer, Graham Race, said he was "ecstatic" that the product has been recognised by the aviation industry.

He said: "I never imagined in my wildest dreams it would win this award.

"When I developed the TravelChair, my sole aim was to provide a solution for disabled children to be able to travel in a conventional airline seat. 

"As the father of a disabled child myself, I understand the importance of air travel to access vital treatment but many children were unable to use this mode of transport as their needs on the aircraft were not being met."

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