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Kian is 10-years-old and has Downs syndrome. He has received a specialist tricycle that will allow him to keep fit by riding outside with his mother and father.

Kian’s condition has left him with a number of complex health issues and he is unable to walk long distances. He also has hearing and vision impairments and struggles to talk.

His poor balance means that he is unable to ride a standard bicycle leaving him unable to get the outdoor exercise that he needs to improve his health.

Kian has to have daily physiotherapy to help maintain the health of his lungs but his parents were desperate to give him the opportunity of keeping fit whilst having fun.

Kian’s mother, Alison, says her son loves the new tricycle, “Kian really likes doing cooking, PE and drama at school and he also attends a special needs dance group every Saturday.

“We try to keep him active, to improve his health, and he also goes swimming once a month and loves going to disco’s.

“But what he needed was to get outside and enjoy some fresh air so when I was told about the therapy tricycles, and how they have been designed to aid physical development and rehabilitation, and that they are also great for building up the strength in a child’s legs, I immediately thought about getting one for Kian.”

Kian’s father, Chris, says the process for applying for funding was really simple and he couldn’t believe it when he found out their application was successful.

“Kian adores the tricycle, although with the winter nights drawing in he’s only been out on it a handful of times,” he enthused. “But he can’t wait until the summer as he knows that it will make a big difference to him, and playing outside will be something that he will be able to do for the first time.”

Chris says the added benefit is that cycling is an activity that won’t cost the family a penny. “It’s fantastic that Kian is an active boy, but it’s difficult when you’re constantly paying out,” he exclaimed. “He really enjoys playing games in the house that don’t cost anything, like Snakes and Ladders, or Connect Four, but he just wants to get outside.”

Alison says that the tricycle is perfect for safe, outdoor, excursions. She said: “Kian can’t walk very far so this equipment allows him to go further afield and as the tricycle has a safety handle feature we can keep control of it at all times.

“It’s also reassuring to know that if he gets tired we can always push him back home.

“The tricycle is going to bring him so much happiness and I’m sure he’ll make new friends in the summer as it’s such a cool looking bit of kit.”     

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Jacob is six-year-old and has spinal muscular atrophy, a progressive muscle wasting disease that has left him a permanent wheelchair user.

Jacob requires around the clock care and his mother Sophie has to assist him in his daily life.

Despite his condition Jacob is an extremely sociable and outgoing little boy who loves being outside with his friends.

He’s started playing wheelchair football, for Sale Bees, and he recently gained his 5^th badge for swimming.

But, unfortunately, his old wheelchair was making it difficult for Jacob to achieve his sporting goals as its lack of stability was unsafe on different terrains and surfaces.

Jacob’s inquisitive nature also required that he have a model where the seat could move up and down. As mum, Sophie, aged 31, explained: “He has such an enquiring mind and he loves maths and anything to do with science. He also has a fantastic imagination and he’s always keen to explore new spaces, but his old chair was making it difficult for him to access certain environments.

“The new wheelchair now allows him to rise a little higher, to be nearer to his friends, and he can now easily grab things that he ordinarily wouldn’t have been able to reach.”

Sophie says that the wheelchair is much safer than his old one. As she explained: “He had some bad experiences with the old chair and he nearly had a number of accidents, like toppling over on uneven surfaces.

“It’s amazing knowing that he has got such a safe and reliable chair, I don’t think people appreciate just how comforting that is as a parent.”

Jacob loves watching his favourite football team Manchester City on television and he also loves listening to AC/DC and Michael Jackson, two of his favourite musical acts.

“He has quite an eclectic taste in music for such a young boy,” exclaimed Sophie. “But he’s like most lads, he’s into everything and the wheelchair has quickly become a real extension of him.

“He’s had Spiderman graffiti put onto it and when he went to school in it for the first time everybody came up to him to look at it and he was showing them everything that it could do.

“He was so proud of it and it was really nice to see him so happy.” 

Jacob has big ambitions for the future. “He wants to be involved in medical research and invent new medicines,” explained Sophie. “He’s on a clinical trial at the moment and we talk about medicines a lot and how they help people.

“He’s really bought into that and he’d love to help others in this way, and the new wheelchair will allow him to follow this path.” 

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Ten year old Levi has been diagnosed with Autism after his Mum, Melissa bought him to the Caudwell International Children’s Centre.

Melissa noticed signs that her son was developing differently to his sister at just a few months old but despite repeated requests, it wasn’t until he was 5-years-old that Levi was referred to the local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) where he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

“Even after the diagnosis of ADHD I still felt there was something more,” exclaimed Melissa. “I could see he was really struggling with sensory overload and he could have a meltdown at any time.

“But nobody listened to me, they said I was being daft, so he remained undiagnosed.”

Finally, two and a half years ago, a senior consultant suggested referring Levi for an assessment for autism.

“I thought, this is it I’m finally getting somewhere but, unbelievably, the clinicians that Levi saw kept passing him on to other specialists and we were getting nowhere,” explained Melissa.

Frustrated with the endless waiting for an assessment, Melissa contacted Staffordshire-based charity, Caudwell Children, and found out the charity was about to launch a new autism service at their purpose-built facility at Keele University.

“I couldn’t believe it,” enthused Melissa. “We’d been waiting for a diagnosis for nearly three years and now I was being told that if I could get a doctor or teacher to refer Levi onto the Caudwell Children Autism Service he could be assessed and diagnosed within 11 weeks. It was amazing!”

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