Fundraising & Communication Tool

Helping Whizz Kidz showcase their wheelchair acquisition process with a 360 interactive video storyboard

We worked with Whizz Kidz to tell the story of how Eliza Campbell received her brand-new, custom-made wheelchair. By combining 360 video with interviews and a custom-branded timeline, we created a virtual tool that showcases Whizz Kidz’ fantastic work and supports fundraising.

Whizz Kidz is a charity that has designed and supplied custom wheelchairs to over 10,000 disabled children in the UK, alongside helping even more to gain the skills and confidence to live independently.

They needed to educate donors, recipients and their families on the process of getting a custom wheelchair. They didn’t just want factual content. They wanted to tell a human story that also functioned as a fundraising and communications tool. So they approached Circus.

With only a small budget, Whizz Kidz originally conceived the idea as a 360 virtual tour using static photos. But we knew that wouldn’t do them justice, so through our Circus Gives Back initiative, we part-funded a much more ambitious and impactful project.

We decided to tell Eliza’s story, starting with her life and background, then meeting the Whizz Kidz team to take measurements, a behind-the-scenes tour at their manufacturing partner’s workshop, and finally collecting her completed custom wheelchair and zooming off.

We meet Eliza and her mum, Angelica, in their home to talk about the challenges they face. We see Eliza making the single most important decision of the entire process… choosing the colours (she went for pink and purple). We share the moment she uses the chair for the first time, and experiences the mobility and autonomy that she couldn’t get from her previous NHS wheelchair.

Everything’s shot in 360 video to capture the emotion and happiness of the moment, and show the positive impact on Eliza’s life, all of which would have been lost in photo form. Viewers can explore the whole scene as they choose, with CEO Sarah Pugh narrating the entire experience. Additionally, video interviews let users meet key people along the way, and navigation tools let them move through chapters or return to the main menu.

We also wanted to communicate that Whizz Kidz is not just a charity that delivers wheelchairs, but also creates a supportive community that families really value. So, as part of the production process, we were invited to one of their amazing skills and water sports activity days to see how their funds are put to great use. The final chapter outlines ways people can and do raise money for Whizz Kidz, and there’s also a donate button on every screen.

These custom wheelchairs take time to make, and the project involved planning and production over several months and at multiple locations. Shooting included Eliza’s home in Surrey, Etac’s manufacturing workshop in Kidderminster, and finally Whizz Kidz’ clinic in Billingshurst and their activity day in West London.

Filming with Eliza and seeing the process was great, but we had to get creative during our first day. Eliza was so excited we were there to film her that she insisted on showing us what she has for breakfast, but filming in 360 meant the crew would be in the shot and ruin the storytelling somewhat… To get around it, we all managed to fit under the table and reassure her we were still there!

It was all worth it in the end, and Whizz Kidz agree:

“We absolutely love it! Really happy with how it’s turned out.”

Whizz Kidz

We’ve worked with charities, brands and public sector organisations around the world to help them tell their stories and raise funds. If you have an exciting project to bring to life, contact us today to find out how Circus can help.

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