My name is Tom Pales and I have been described as
“the Willy Wonka of Rehab.”

I live in Silverton village, just north of Exeter in Devon, with my wife, our two young sons, and Luna, our therapy Labrador.

Freetrike was born from personal experience. In 2002, my father had a severe stroke that left both him and my mother housebound, isolated, and cut off from the outdoor life they loved. I wanted to find a way to help them get outside, move again, and reconnect with the world around them, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park.

The opening of the Granite Way cycle path in 2001 changed everything. While slowly walking the path with my father and his stick, we were overtaken by a recumbent trike — a moment that sparked a completely new way of thinking about rehabilitation, freedom, and possibility. Not long after, we met the engineers at ICE in Falmouth, Cornwall, beginning a life-changing relationship that would shape the future of Freetrike.

Since launching our Rehab Hub service in 2010, we have supported housebound and disabled clients across Devon to ride more than 55,000 kilometres. Along the way, I have developed a deep understanding of how to prescribe, adapt, and fine-tune the right trike for each individual — always with the same aim: helping people get back outside, regain confidence, and rediscover joy through movement.