The Back Up and Thriving Accessible Travel Podcast
Welcome to the podcast from Back Up, the spinal cord injury charity. We inspire people affected by spinal cord injury to get the most out of life.
Back Up and Thriving is an accessible travel podcast about travelling with a spinal cord injury. Hosted by Back Up’s Head of Services, Sophie Elwes, who sustained a SCI herself in 2011. She interviews a range of guests, all of whom have a spinal cord injury and have experienced Back Up's life-changing services.
The Back Up and Thriving Accessible Travel Podcast
Life after Spinal Cord Injury: Why Family Support Matters, Accepting Help to Travel and Peer Support with Clair Pollard
What helps you rebuild confidence, identity and freedom after a spinal cord injury?
In this episode of Back Up and Thriving, Sophie Elwes is joined by Clair Pollard, who’s a Clinical Psychologist and paraplegic who sustained her spinal injury in 1999 while travelling in Africa. Clair shares how discovering Back Up shortly after leaving hospital changed the direction of her life and reshaped her belief in what was still possible.
Clair reflects on her first multi activity course in the Lake District, the power of peer support, and how it became central to her recovery and long term wellbeing. She also discusses the growth of Back Up from a small charity into a national organisation supporting people with spinal cord injuries and their families and shares the evolution of the family support service and mentoring service - which she helped pioneer alongside another Clinical Psychologist in 2005.
Travel plays a major role in Clair’s story. She speaks candidly about navigating the world as a wheelchair user, accepting help when needed, managing setbacks, and building confidence through experience. Her perspective is practical, honest and grounded in decades of lived experience.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- How peer support and mentoring support long term recovery
- Why travel remains possible after spinal cord injury with planning and confidence
- How to balance independence with accepting help when travelling
- The emotional impact of injury on family members and why their wellbeing matters
- Practical advice for newly injured people considering travel
Key Moments:
00:00 - Clair Pollard introduces her journey
02:05 - Discovering Back Up after spinal injury
04:45 - The Lake District course that changed everything
07:29 - Returning to work and rebuilding confidence
10:09 - Peer support and mentoring at Back Up
14:56 - Why mentoring works so powerfully
19:12 - Travelling the world as a wheelchair user
22:54 - Losing spontaneity and learning to plan travel
26:19 - Asking for help and verbal independence
29:38 - Advice for newly injured travellers
33:38 - Travel hacks and flying with a wheelchair
37:19 - What Clair would tell her newly injured self
38:50 - Living well with a spinal cord injury
41:36 - Supporting family members after injury
43:11 - Final reflections on purpose and gratitude
🌍 Ready to plan your next adventure with confidence?
If you’re looking for accessible travel advice or want to connect with someone who’s been there, Back Up is here to help.
Reach out to the team and get the support you need to travel confidently today:
👉 www.backuptrust.org.uk/support-for-you/back-up-and-thriving-accessible-travel-toolkit
Find out more about:
Mentoring: www.backuptrust.org.uk/support-for-you/mentoring
The Back Up Lounge: www.backuptrust.org.uk/support-for-you/the-back-up-lounge
Family Support: www.backuptrust.org.uk/support-for-you/family-support
Back Up Courses: www.backuptrust.org.uk/support-for-you/life-changing-courses
These resources are proudly supported by the Motability Foundation.
Credits:
This episode was hosted by Sophie Elwes, Head of Services at Back Up and produced by Phonic Content.
Back Up is a national charity for everyone affected by spinal cord injury. Join us on Instagram, Facebook, X and Linkedin.