A QUARRY Bank wheelchair manufacturer was able to give a Birmingham man the surprise of his life when they appeared on the ITV show ‘Surprise Surprise’.

Sunrise Medical presented Great Barr man Rob Groves with six specialised bikes and wheelchairs after hearing of a freak accident which left Rob paralysed.

In 2006, an accident left Rob partly paralysed from the waist down and in a wheelchair, but instead of taking this life changing experience negatively, he focused his energy into cycling and decided to help others by opening his own disability project.

His son Karl applied to the ITV programme, which helps people achieve their long-term wishes, for support in expanding the project.

Programme producers contacted the Thorns Road based manufacturer to ask if they could provide the specialist wheelchairs and bikes Rob needed.

Adrian Priest, Sunrise Medical marketing manager, visited the ITV studio on the day of filming and said the company were “more than happy to make Rob’s vision a reality”.

He said: “It was a real honour to play a pivotal role in this exciting journey for Rob, especially after everything he has been through and what he wanted to achieve following his experience.

“Rob was completely oblivious to what was going on and while telling host Holly Willoughby of his struggle to start up the group, on comes our fantastic selection of Quickie products across the screen.

“It’s safe to say through utter shock and excitement, Rob was over the moon and emotionally thanked all those who had been a part of this event.

“It was fantastic to be a part of the day and meet Rob and his family, not to mention Holly Willoughby herself.”

Stourbridge News:

During the show, Rob spoke about his inspiration from reading the book ‘If you fall’ by Karen Darke, the British Paralympic cyclist.

To further his surprise, Karen herself also made an appearance on the show.