REMEMBER how excited you were when you got your first bike?

That is how excited Erin Park was when she got hers at the age of 20.

Costing £2,000, the bike was built specially for her with custom features that will enable her to ride it for years to come.

And none of it would have been possible without the generosity of Oxfordshire charities.

Erin, who has Down’s Syndrome, always loved going for rides on the back of her dad Julian’s bike, but because of her condition she could not ride one herself. No matter how hard she tried, she could not make her feet pedal.

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Mum Jackie said: “Erin’s always really enjoyed going for a tag-along on her dad’s bike so I wanted to get her her own, but it would need to be specialised and that is very expensive.”

The family, who live in Crowmarsh Gifford near Wallingford, got in touch with Gloucester firm Tomcat which builds special bikes for people with special needs, but it was going to cost more than the family could easily afford.

Mrs Park, who teaches at The Henley College where Erin is a student, was delighted when Didcot Rotary Club offered £250 – but it was still a fraction of what was needed. Then another Didcot charity was suggested – Changing Lives, founded by veteran South Oxfordshire fundraiser Val Prior.

Within five minutes of hearing the family’s situation Miss Prior had agreed to give the family £1,750.

Mrs Park said: “I’m not easily shocked but when she said ‘yes’ I was overwhelmed.”

Now the bike has arrived. It has a “carer control” handle coming out the back, is geared differently from a normal bike so Erin can actually pedal it, and can even be split in two so it can fit in the car.

And the Parks needn’t have worried – as soon as Erin saw the bike she jumped on it and was pedalling away.

Mrs Park said: “She was delighted with it. She knew just what to do.

“It’s difficult for someone with a learning disability at 20 – she’s limited in the activities she can access, so cycling is something that she can enjoy with us for years to come.”