This is Ollie:

Many of you will know Ollie personally, some of you will know of him and others won't know him at all. When he was born he was very poorly and required a couple of weeks in intensive care before he was allowed home.

At this time we didn't know there would be any long-term effects for his health but as he has grown so has the list of conditions that he lives with.

Primarily he has cerebral palsy resulting in both a physical disability and a learning disability. At 3-years old he was diagnosed with severe multi-focal epilepsy. At 6-years old motor-dyspraxia and more recently it appears as though he also has autistic spectrum disorder.

Ollie is about to turn 7-years old yet unlike many of his peers he does not have his own wheels.

He did have wheels when he was almost 2-years old as you can see...

but these were to help him walk.

His physical disability (left-hemiplegia and poor trunk control) means that he cannot ride a standard bicycle, even with stabilisers, and therefore we are left with the prospect of purchasing a custom-built trike in order to give him an element of freedom.

Tomcat is a British company that has changed the lives of many disabled children and adults who thought that cycling was entirely beyond their reach and this is why we are so excited about their products. The Tomcat "Road Hog" is Tomcats multi-speed trike for more able riders like Ollie but can be adapted to support specific aspects of his disability.

Image ©TomcatUK.org

Needless to say, this level of specificity does not come with a small price-tag and this trike starts at £1200. We estimate that the adaptations he will require will cost in the region of £300 and therefore our target is £1500.

As a family we would be thrilled if you could support our cause and help us provide Ollie with that element of freedom that your first bicycle gives you. Who doesn't remember that as a child? We would love Ollie to have those memories too.

Thank you for your kind support.