I've thought long and hard about this and I still feel somewhat uncomfortable to even ask. But friends tell me I should and so here goes...

I'm a disabled mum of three beautiful boys. I fight my health daily to overcome chronic pain from 3 bone diseases, bipolar affective disorder and defy medicine. But it comes at a heavy price. Mostly to my kids.

I've been hopelessly trying to raise funds for a form of mobility that would allow me to spend time outdoors with my children, such as a mobility scooter. As I'm sure you can all imagine, with children, the list of things to save for is long, and I deprioritise my own lists - just as any other parent would.

Every year, during the warmer months, I hear my children ask "can we ride our bikes to school mum?" or "can we go to the park?". And everytime I answer along the lines of "I have nobody to walk with you while you ride to school" or "I'm in too much pain, I'm sorry". This year, for the first time, they didn't ask.

I'm devastated. My children are the last to ask for toys for their birthday, but the first to offer their own to children in need. Likewise, I'm the first to volunteer my time and support, but the last to ask for it. I've spent years volunteering and still do around work. I peer support and am passionate to help others.

But I've come to realise that, much as I have absolutely no problem with waiting to earn the things we need, my children are going to have grown too much before I can achieve this mobility freedom alone.

So, from the bottom of my honest and humble heart, I please ask for your support towards a taga electric bike that would not only enable me to cycle with my boys (without losing cool points!) 0.5miles to school, but also walk my dog, have the fresh air that my mental health so desperately needs and offer me a daily physio activity to encourage this failure of a body of mine to not give up just yet.

I wish I didn't need to ask, and I thank you for even reading this.