Happy Clients
Hear what they have to say
Ben from Silverton
Stroke survivor, Age 70.
Back in 2010 I was an active, fit man who enjoyed farming and country sports when I had a devestating stroke which left me paralysed down my left side. I had a terrible fear of falling and no sense of balance.
The Doctors and Physiotherapists had discharged me into a life in a wheelchair with the four walls of my kitchen. My wife then read an article in Devon Life about this fellow whose father had suffered a stroke and had used a recumbent trike to grant him exercise. Tom wrote about lack of balance, fear of falling and all the things we recognised.
We arranged a visit by Tom to try a trike in out kitchen on a set of rollers and he showed us how he would safely get me on and off the equipment. Then we got out into the Devon countryside. My uneffected right leg did the hard work but the effected leg was getting exercise. I steer, brake and change gear all with my uneffected hand and have been thrilled to explore all the cycleways of Devon (THANK YOU DCC!)
The benefits are many: fresh air, exercise and the chance to meet new people and have a good chat all from the comfort of a recumbent trike. I do not feel so disabled when I`m on a trike and it certainly helped me to come to terms with my feelings of hopelessness. Thank you Tom and the Freetrike service.
Ashley from Ilfracombe
Cerebral Palsy, Aged 25.
We want to express our sincere gratitude for your help in assisting Ashley in achieving so much while you worked with him, your caring and dedicated approach equipped Ashley with the confidence to learn how to ride a bicycle. For many a simple skill, for Ash this was a huge achievement. It has given him the confidence to engage with independance a whole range of other activities and experiences.
Your help has been invaluble, you achieve remarkable things and genuinely change lives. I know that for Ash and his mother, your work has given them hope, confidence and independance, attributes for which they can not thank you enough. Keep up the excellent work.
Ashleys father.
Hugh from Paignton, Torbay
Cerebral Palsy, Aged 17.
Before I became a client of Freetrike, many years ago, I was prescribed a "disabled" upright trike to help me get outdoors with my Cerebral Palsy and out of my motorised wheelchair. It was a Special Needs bit of equipment and, because it was a fixed wheel, I needed someone ie a parent, to walk along side me as I cycled. Barely getting above jogging speed and taking half an hour to mount/dismount, I rarely rode it.
Then I met Tom when I was 17. After five sessions, I was seen frequently hurtling up and down Paignton seafront accumulating six or seven miles at top speed. Now, aged 18, under my own steam, I am doing lap after lap of our very own outdoor velopark circuit at Paignton - achieving 8 to 10 miles in 90 minutes. The transformation from having to be virtually pushed round the park to cycling a mile in under five minutes is outstanding.
However, the best bit for me about Freetrike is always trying to improve. Tom and I set physical goals like achieving a sub four and a half minute lap, or completing three laps consecutively under five minutes. As well as this, Tom is always striving to allow me to be that bit more independent or free on the trike. One day we will achieve total independence for me to cycle and go wherever in the world, but until then the velopark and Freetrike are ideal for me.
