When a brand-new Tomcat trike arrived at English Bicknor C of E School, it marked an exciting new opportunity for a young pupil named Roary. The trike, donated by Tomcat, is set to support Roary’s physical development, boost his confidence, and open the door to a more active and independent future.
Mrs Lawson, who works closely with Roary at school, shared the impact she hopes the trike will have:
“Hopefully the trike will give Roary more confidence and help with his mobility. Hopefully it will help him get stronger so that in the future he can go bike riding with his family.”
Roary takes part in short activity sessions throughout the day to support his focus and wellbeing. The trike, she explained, will slot perfectly into this routine:
“We have breakout times in between lessons where Roary has what we call a brain break—where he gets the chance to do a bit of physical activity—so the trike will be perfect for that.”
The school had already seen a spark of excitement in Roary during a visit to Newent School, where he had the chance to try out adapted tricycles:
“We went out for a day up at Newent School where he rode some other tricycles and he really loved it, so when we saw the Fizz, we just thought it was amazing and perfect for him.”
For Roary’s mum, seeing her son sit on a bike he could actually ride came as a surprise and a joy:
“Mum is so happy and just shocked that he is able to ride a bike because before now he hasn’t been able to cycle.”
She went on to explain just how significant this moment was:
“He’s always struggled to ride a bike. He’s never been able to pedal forward—he’s only been able to place his feet on the pedals and not propel himself. But with the Tomcat, he’s able to fully pedal himself.”
That transformation is no accident. Bob Griffin, Tomcat’s Managing Director and Head of Engineering and Design, shared the thinking behind the design:
“We put an awful lot of importance on reducing weight so that the first push can create speed and momentum that works like a flywheel to pull the trike through the 5 o’clock to 7 o’clock dead zone. A Tomcat has a success rate in the high 90%’s. So we know from years of experience that most children will excel on a Tomcat where they may not do so well—or fail entirely—on a heavier machine.”
With the right equipment now in place, Roary’s school and family are filled with hope for what comes next. Though his journey with the trike is just beginning, it’s already clear that this simple piece of engineering could be the key to a bigger, more independent world.
