A DISABLED student from Shoebury is celebrating after friends, family and total strangers rallied around and raised more than £10,000 to buy him a new electric wheelchair.

Dean Dollman, 36, from Shoebury, who is studying for a BA in special needs studies at Southend-based South Essex College, suffers from cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus and has been in a wheelchair throughout his life.

At the end of 2014 his wheelchair broke and he was unable to buy a replacement because it cost more than £10,000.

His brother Bradley set about raising the money for him and thanks to a charity club night, family friend Ian Shelley ran two charity races, and donations from complete strangers, Dean now has a new chair and his independence back.

Christine Hodder, Dean’s mother, said: “Dean is so happywith it and hasn’t been in any pain since he got the new chair.

“It adjusts to his body and we’re so grateful to Lifestyle Mobility who we got the chair from, but who also donated £500.

“I want to say thank you to Bradley and Ian, who raised the most money, but also the strangers who also donated – we had one man who saw the story in the paper and sent us a £100 cheque and another woman who donated £700, the response was just amazing.”