Charity chocolate a life-long commitment

BY SARAH MOYES

You've probably seen him before, in fact he may have helped indulge your sweet tooth.

His name is Mark Grantham, and he's the chocolate seller on Broadway. Almost every Saturday for the past 17 years Mark has set up 'shop' from his wheelchair, outside Hallensteins in Newmarket.

He sells chocolate bars to Newmarket shoppers to raise money for World Vision and for his five sponsored children.

"I'm going to do it until my dying days," he says.

Mark was born with cerebral palsy and is living with tetraplegia, which means he is paralysed from the neck down.

But being in a wheelchair hasn't stopped the 33-year-old from living a very full and busy life.

He has travelled all over the world, his most recent trip being to Tanzania in Africa where he visited two of his sponsored children.

Mark lives in a self-contained unit in Onehunga, and is an advocate for the inclusion into society of people living with a disability in New Zealand.

He speaks at national and international events about how he lives his life independently.

"I inspire people to do what they want. I can do this, so they can too," Mark says.

Newmarket Business Association chief executive Cameron Brewer says Mark is famous on Broadway.

"Everyone knows him, and respects him. We only ever get positive comments about him," Mr Brewer says.

Mark's father, Chris, has recently written a biography of Mark called The Chocolate Seller on Broadway and His Kids: The Story of Mark Grantham.

Chris started the book, which tells the story of Mark's remarkable life, in 2007.

"It's his story for the first 33 years. It starts with a chocolate seller, and ends with a chocolate seller."

The book is being launched on Monday.

Mark will continue to sell chocolate and raise money for World Vision because it is "helping lots of kids around the world".

- © Fairfax NZ News