Disabled International Entrepreneur Builds New Business in Bali Thanks to TGA Buddy Mobility Scooter

Roger Barclay-Edwards, 68 from Cheltenham, is a highly successful retired businessman with limited mobility who has been able to continue developing his new holiday villas in Bali, thanks to a Buddy mobility scooter from TGA.

Roger has been a dynamic and driven individual all his life and held the position of Managing Director at the international EDS Group for over 40 years. During this period he owned EDS Engineering Limited in Essex for 30 years and was responsible for establishing the whole Chelmsford Rivermead Industrial estate, which still exists today. Following his retirement Roger began investigating his next challenge and decided to invest abroad in Bali by building a group of eco-friendly holiday villas. Now nearing completion, these three family villas and eight private bungalows all provide high quality, shoreline accommodation that includes a private pool and are totally solar powered. However Roger’s mobility became suddenly restricted in 2013 and his ability to continue with this project looked in doubt until he discovered the remarkable, folding TGA Buddy scooter.

Rogers explains: “I suddenly became unable to walk in 2013 for more than 30-40 feet without extreme pain. My Orthopaedic specialist told me that he had been expecting this for a long time. Back fusions in my 20’s ruined my Tennis career, I did play at Wimbledon twice though, but he said I would be permanently in a wheelchair by the time I was 60. At least I have to date beaten that by eight years anyway and now I have a TGA Buddy, my life and business career is back on track! I can no longer walk the length and breadth of Airports like Hong Kong or Heathrow, so my collapsible Buddy is absolutely essential for international travel. As it can be folded or dismantled easily without any fiddly wires to connect, it’s ideal for taking on holiday or abroad. One piece of advice, take non-lithium batteries so you have no hold ups when checking in. On my recent trip over to Bali, the understanding terminal personnel let me take the Buddy right up to the plane door – a huge help that saved us so much time and hassle. Its great to know that despite my condition, we can travel to our Ubud home on Bali with peace of mind.”

Roger continues: “I have had my TGA Buddy for over three months now and my wife and I have been so chuffed with it. As it has pneumatic rear tyres it does not jar my back and my wife and I particularly like the easy way it folds down, we hardly ever need to separate it. I am also buying a Breeze from TGA for use around Cheltenham when I return from Bali as this model will be suited to more challenging terrain. Without the ability to walk, I would have been really snookered without my Buddy and my Bali project could have been in serious jeopardy. The independence it gives me is priceless and driving around the off road tracks in Melaya are no problem for my Buddy. We are very pleased with the Sumber Sari Eco Villas development and are sure that eventually, the whole complex when finished, will be a great success without using any of Bali’s precious resources, including of course, electricity.”

Outside of his business ventures, Roger enjoys spending time with his four children, eight grandchildren and fulfilling a passion for model railways. His Buddy scooter is manufactured by TGA Mobility, which is based in Sudbury Suffolk, close to Halstead where Roger was originally born. TGA have been a leading mobility scooter specialist in the UK for nearly 30 years.  The 3-wheel Buddy from TGA is one of the most portable scooters on the market and can be separated into constituent parts or folded flat for storage in a car or on public transport.

Do you own a TGA mobility scooter? Has it allowed you to continue working? Tell us your story...email social@tgamobility.co.uk