Ashleigh is 27 years old and in her third year of nursing training, which involves working at her local hospital. It is a highly demanding and intensive course. Ashleigh had an accident in January 2015 while walking her dog, when she broke her ankle badly. After a week in a cast, Ashleigh’s ankle was operated on. She was then unable to bear weight for two weeks, and had a total of six weeks in plaster. The hospital provided crutches but nobody mentioned a wheelchair loan to support her mobility during recovery. So it was unclear how Ashleigh and her partner were going to cope in terms of keeping her mobile and attending her studies, especially in a rural area where there are long distances to travel. Fortunately, around the time of her operation, Ashleigh found out from a neighbour about the Red Cross wheelchair loan and her partner visited the local Red Cross distribution centre to obtain one. Without the wheelchair, it is clear that there would have been higher economic costs to hospital services as a result of Ashleigh having to stay a night and day longer in hospital before discharge (after her operation), the likelihood of another fall and subsequent micro- fractures to her ankle, and associated ambulance call out. However, in addition to the positive social impact on her emotional and mental wellbeing that the wheelchair supported, Ashleigh, Ashleigh has been able to avoid significant personal financial costs to her and Cornwall her partner. Not having a wheelchair would have meant having to postpone and re-sit her final year of nursing qualifications. 16