A PENSIONER from Barford St Martin who cares for her 88-year-old husband has been awarded a personal grant to buy him a much-needed mobility scooter.

Greta Towler, 79, who also has mobility problems, has been her husband Rene’s sole carer in recent years after he became almost house-bound due to ill health.

Now, thanks to a £500 grant from the Engage Mutual Foundation, he has got his independence back.

Mrs Towler applied for the grant from the Engage Foundation, which has set aside £1m for its customers to make their lives and their communities better.

She said: “It would have been difficult to keep caring for my husband the way I do without this grant.

“I can’t stress how much it means to me and my husband and how it has improved our quality of life.

“Something as simple as being able to leave the house with my husband and enjoy the outdoors is a true blessing.

“Having been in the army for 23 years, he found it very hard to accept the inactivity, especially as he got older and more disabled.

“The frustrations of ill health and limited mobility have at times made my husband very sad but, thanks to this new mobility scooter, the twinkle in his eye has returned.

“It may seem like a small amount of money to some, but to me and my husband it has made a huge difference.”

As a mutual organisation, Engage is owned by, and run for, its customers.

The Engage Foundation was set up to provide customers like Greta with personal grants and also awards for community projects.

Nigel Hunter, head of community at Engage, said: “Greta is one of so many people who selflessly cares for loved ones in times of old-age or illhealth.

These are the unsung heroes of our communities.

“I’m really pleased that the personal grant will provide Greta and her husband with a new lease of life they can enjoy together.”

To find out more about the foundation go to engagemutual.com /foundation