Nakita Wright from Trowbridge left waiting for home

Nakita Wright, 14, from Trowbridge, was left paralysed following a freak incident on the Algarve, Portugal in 2015.

Doctors said they didn’t know if she would be able to walk again – and seven years on she is disabled from the waist down.

Despite this, mum Natasha Wright, 44, says her daughter has 'taken everything in her stride’ and Nakita is now a wheelchair basketball athlete.

However, despite her success, the family say they are still fighting for adaptions to be made to make their house accessible.

Natasha says she still has to carry Nakita as a result, which can be dangerous – and her daughter has sustained scoliosis due to her attempts to move herself.

Nakita first sustained the injury which would lead to paralysis on October 26, 2015, age eight, during a surfing lesson with her dad.

She was practicing lying flat on the board and jumping up when she suddenly experienced pain and found she was unable to stand.

After two months, she was diagnosed with surfer’s myelopathy – a condition mostly affecting young adults, meaning Nakita is believed to be the youngest person in the world with the diagnosis.

Seven years later, the family say they are still fighting for adaptions after being evicted from the rented accommodation they were living in when Nakita came out of hospital.

Following the eviction, they moved into a Selwood Housing property after being told by their occupational therapist that it would be possible to adapt the house to meet Nakita’s requirements.

They moved into the new property on August 18, 2017.

Natasha said: "Selwood Housing took us on as a priority case and we went to see a property in the perfect location.

“We didn’t think it was adaptable but we received a call from the occupational therapist who said they had gone to the property and it could be adapted so we should go for it.

"Before we moved into the property and after we accepted it, they came in and replaced the bathroom and kitchen flooring."

Selwood Housing gave Natasha a voucher to complete some work after they moved in, she says, most of which went on repairing the floor as Nakita was having to shuffle around the house.

During Christmas 2017 they expected to receive grants to make the property wheelchair accessible but were told they wouldn’t be receiving the grants after all, Natasha claims.

In the beginning of 2018, they were then told they would have to go back on the housing list and over six months were offered three different properties by Selwood Housing – none of which met the family's needs, Natasha says.

After informing the housing association they would not be moving into any of the other houses, Natasha alleges that Selwood refused to help any further.

A spokesperson for Selwood Housing said: "We deeply sympathise with the challenges Ms Wright and her family face following her daughter’s accident.

"We have made contact with Ms Wright to discuss her concerns and how to take this matter forward.

"Ms Wright moved into her home in 2017, after considerable discussions to determine the suitability of the property between Selwood Housing, Ms Wright and the family’s occupational therapist.

"This move was prioritised through our direct lets process, in recognition of the family’s circumstances and the fact that they had been threatened with being made homeless from a privately rented property.

"The direct lets process meant that Ms Wright’s housing needs were prioritised, rather than going through the usual Homes 4 Wiltshire bidding process, which can take considerably longer.

"Later that year, Selwood Housing was advised that the property was no longer suitable and because a significant extension to the property was not financially possible, it was agreed that the only option was for Ms Wright to move home.

"We spoke with Ms Wright about finding alternative accommodation that would meet the needs of the family.

"This was again through the direct lets process, so that the limited number of potentially suitable homes available could be offered directly to Ms Wright.

"After other potentially suitable homes were ruled out, one remaining property was confirmed as suitable by the occupational therapist and this home was offered to Ms Wright.

"Ms Wright did not feel that property was suitable and refused the offer.

"Understandably, the family wished to stay in Trowbridge so that Ms Wright’s daughter would not have to change school and to stay close to their network of family and friends, which meant that properties outside of Trowbridge were not suitable.

"For this reason, we also offered advice on exploring properties with other housing associations through a Homes 4 Wiltshire application, so that as many homes as possible could be considered.

"Another property that Ms Wright was interested in was unfortunately not an option because it is designated as supported living for adults and there are restrictive covenants in place which prevent us from letting this property to Ms Wright.

"In the meantime, we asked for recent kitchen adaptations to be included as part of a grant for accessibility modifications at Ms Wright’s current home.

"This took place and the work is being planned."

Councillor Phil Alford, Cabinet Member for Housing at Wiltshire Council said: “We understand how frustrating this is but unfortunately, where funding has been agreed, works have been subject to delays caused by shortages of materials and contractors.

“We are working closely with our contractors to ensure that works can be carried out as soon as possible and are communicating this to affected residents.”