In the rolling green hills of rural England, where access to healthcare and opportunities can feel like a distant dream, a revolutionary initiative is transforming lives. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, through their Archewell Foundation, have launched a fleet of state-of-the-art buses equipped with cutting-edge medical technology and vocational training facilities. These mobile units travel to the most remote corners of the country, bringing free healthcare and skill-building programs to people with disabilities. But the story doesn’t end with the buses. During one heartfelt visit, Meghan met a young man whose ingenuity and resilience sparked a global movement, turning his recycled mobility device into a lifeline for millions. This is a tale of compassion, innovation, and the power of giving hope to those who need it most.
The Archewell Foundation, founded by Harry and Meghan in 2020, has always been about action—showing up and doing good. Their latest project, the Rural Access Initiative, was born from a desire to bridge the gap between urban advancements and rural realities. In England’s countryside, where public transport is scarce and specialized medical facilities are often hours away, people with disabilities face unique challenges. Many lack access to regular check-ups, physical therapy, or opportunities to learn skills that could lead to independence. Harry, inspired by his own experiences in rural communities during his gap year in Australia, understood the isolation of these areas. Meghan, with her passion for empowering marginalized groups, saw an opportunity to make a tangible difference.
The buses themselves are marvels of modern engineering. Each one is a mobile clinic and training center rolled into one, outfitted with diagnostic tools like portable ultrasound machines, telemedicine consoles for remote consultations, and adaptive workstations for vocational training. Solar panels power the onboard systems, ensuring sustainability even in off-grid villages. The interiors are fully accessible, with ramps, adjustable tables, and voice-activated controls for those with limited mobility. Nurses, therapists, and trainers staff the buses, offering everything from physical rehabilitation to courses in digital literacy, woodworking, and even 3D printing. The goal is simple but profound: to empower people with disabilities to live fuller, more independent lives.
On a crisp autumn morning in a small village in Yorkshire, one such bus rolled into a community center’s parking lot. Locals gathered, curious about the sleek vehicle with the Archewell logo. Among them was Tom, a 19-year-old who had been paralyzed from the waist down since a car accident three years earlier. Tom was no stranger to adversity, but he was also no stranger to ingenuity. Unable to afford a high-end wheelchair, he had spent months in his father’s garage, tinkering with discarded bike parts, plastic bottles, and scrap metal. The result was a lightweight, hand-powered mobility device—part wheelchair, part tricycle—that let him navigate the village’s uneven paths with ease. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked.
Meghan, who was visiting the bus that day, noticed Tom maneuvering his contraption with a quiet pride. She approached him, struck by his determination. “That’s incredible,” she said, crouching to examine the device. “Did you make this yourself?” Tom, shy but eager to share, explained how he’d scavenged materials from a local dump, using YouTube tutorials to guide his welds and cuts. The device cost him less than £50 to build, a fraction of the thousands required for a standard wheelchair. Meghan listened intently, her eyes lighting up as Tom described his dream: to make affordable mobility aids for others like him.
The encounter was a turning point. Meghan shared Tom’s story with Harry, and the couple saw potential far beyond one village. They invited Tom to a meeting with Archewell’s innovation team, where he presented his prototype. Engineers were impressed by its simplicity and durability. The frame, made from recycled aluminum and reinforced plastic, was both sturdy and lightweight. The hand-crank system, adapted from a bicycle chain, allowed users to move without relying on expensive motors. Most importantly, it could be produced at scale using widely available materials, making it ideal for low-income communities worldwide.
Harry and Meghan didn’t hesitate. Through Archewell, they allocated a grant to develop Tom’s invention, pairing him with a team of designers and manufacturers. They also connected him with organizations like Whizz-Kidz, a UK charity focused on mobility for young wheelchair users, to refine the design for different disabilities. Within months, the “TomCycle”—as it came to be called—was born. The final product was sleek yet affordable, costing under £100 to produce. It featured modular components, so users could swap parts like seats or wheels to suit their needs. The frame was 90% recycled, aligning with Archewell’s commitment to sustainability.
The impact was immediate. In rural England, the buses began distributing TomCycles to those who couldn’t afford traditional wheelchairs. Recipients, from children with cerebral palsy to elderly stroke survivors, reported newfound freedom. A young girl in Devon used her TomCycle to attend school for the first time in years. An older man in Cornwall, who had been housebound, could now visit his local pub. The buses, already a lifeline, became symbols of possibility, carrying not just medical care but also tools for independence.
But the story didn’t stop at England’s borders. Harry and Meghan saw the TomCycle’s potential to transform lives globally, particularly in developing nations where mobility aids are often a luxury. They partnered with international NGOs to set up micro-factories in countries like Kenya, India, and Brazil. These factories, staffed by local workers—many with disabilities themselves—produced TomCycles using locally sourced, recycled materials. Training programs, delivered via the buses’ vocational modules, taught communities how to maintain and customize the devices. By mid-2025, over 500,000 TomCycles had been distributed across 20 countries, with plans to reach millions more.
The initiative’s success wasn’t just about numbers. It was about people like Aisha, a 15-year-old in rural Kenya who used her TomCycle to sell handmade baskets at a market, supporting her family. Or Carlos, a Brazilian veteran who regained his confidence after years of isolation. Each story echoed Tom’s own journey: a spark of creativity, fueled by necessity, amplified by opportunity. Harry and Meghan made a point to meet as many recipients as possible, often joining bus visits to hear their stories firsthand. Meghan, in particular, formed a bond with Tom, who became an ambassador for the project, speaking at global forums about disability and innovation.
The Rural Access Initiative and the TomCycle also shifted perceptions. In rural communities, where disability can carry stigma, the buses created spaces for dialogue. Workshops on the buses taught families how to support loved ones with disabilities, fostering inclusion. The TomCycle, with its rugged, practical design, became a badge of resilience, not limitation. Social media buzzed with photos of users customizing their TomCycles with bright paint or local fabrics, turning them into expressions of identity.
For Harry and Meghan, the project was deeply personal. Harry often spoke of his mother, Princess Diana, whose work with marginalized groups inspired his own. Meghan drew on her advocacy for women and youth, seeing the TomCycle as a way to empower the next generation. Their hands-on approach—visiting villages, meeting inventors like Tom, and pushing for scalability—set Archewell apart from traditional philanthropy. Critics, who once questioned their post-royal path, began to take note. The couple wasn’t just funding change; they were building it, one bus, one device, one life at a time.
Tom, now 20, is no longer the quiet teen in the garage. He’s studying engineering at a local college, funded by an Archewell scholarship, and dreams of designing more assistive technologies. His original prototype sits in a London museum, a testament to what’s possible when ingenuity meets opportunity. As the buses continue their journeys, and TomCycles roll across continents, Harry and Meghan’s vision is clear: change starts with showing up, listening, and believing in the potential of every person, no matter where they are.
The world is watching, and the conversation is just beginning. From rural England to global communities, this initiative proves that compassion and innovation can move mountains—or at least, make them easier to cross.
