“She gets excited when she knows a ride on the trike is coming up and the whole cycling experience ‘cheers her up’.”

The Beginning

Penny lives with her family in Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Close to her cousins, who are her friends and playmates as well as family, Penny has grown up wanting to join in with their outdoor play, but was held back by what was and wasn’t accessible to her by wheelchair/walker. It has long since been clear that Penny would benefit from other ways to get around.

 

The Challenge

Penny has mobility problems due to Cerebral Palsy, meaning that she is unable to walk and has to make use of a ‘K’ walker to get around and has very little independence.

For an alternative method of movement to be successful, Penny needed:

  • To be able to use it properly
  • Support for her body where needed
  • A way for Shauna to supervise her daughter, if necessary

 

The Solution

At a ‘Trike Day’ organised by John Preston Healthcare, Penny’s mum, Shauna, discovered Tomcat trikes. With the help and guidance of Gary Allen, John Preston’s trained Tomcat trike assessor, they decided that easy-to-ride pedals, the support and harness adaptations that can be made to the seats, and the Carer Control™ handle were perfect for Penny’s needs. The Carer Control™ allowed Shauna to assist her daughter in steering and braking, while the core support helps to keep Penny safely upright.

The Buddy Bear Trust, who have been supporting Penny for most of her life, provided the support to Shauna’s funding application, and the whole process took a massive step forward.

 

The Result

Rides to the playpark, out and about with her cousins, and trips to see her grandparents with the Tiger trike in the car, are now an everyday part of Penny’s life.

“Penny’s independence has definitely increased with the arrival of the Tomcat Tiger trike and her family now look forward to bike rides all together, once her little brother of 11 months has done a little more growing up!”

Penny is now a much more active part of her friends’ outdoor fun, thanks to her Tiger trike, and Shauna feels that this is the most important contribution to the changes in her daughter’s life.