Scottish company's kind gesture boosts Telford man's tricycle mission for Ukraine
A Scottish company has chipped in to help a Telford man fix up a tricycle for a Ukraine orphanage appeal.
David Pryce, from Wellington, Telford, is making his sixth aid trip to Ukraine this week.
After being moved by word of the thousands of disabled children in Ukraine's orphanages, David, who himself lives with cerebral palsy, has purchased 25 used tricycles to deliver to Ukraine's most vulnerable.
Now the Scottish company Theraplay has chipped in after hearing of David's cause.
Theraplay, based in East Kilbride, has been making bespoke, accessible bikes and trikes for over 40 years.
"Trikes aren't just a recreational item," Theraplay's director, Graeme MacDonald explained: "They're also therapeutic.
"A lot of professionals recommend trikes as part of rehab and therapy for children with a range of disabilities.
"It's also a really important thing for families to do, to buy a child their first bike. It's important that children with disabilities and their families can also have that experience."
Mr Pryce reached out to the company after picking up one of Theraplay's trikes from the internet, in the hope of getting some advice on its repair.
"It was in a really sorry state," Mr MacDonald added, "but the frame looked good. I told David to get it up to us, and we'll fix it up."
The company stripped the trike down, replaced the damaged, missing and rusty parts and gave it a fresh lick of paint in the colours of the Ukraine flag in just two days - completely free of charge.
"I hate waste and it's a worthy cause. Every little helps," Mr MacDonald said.
"We've never done any business with Ukraine, maybe the kids won't have seen this type of thing before."
The company has also sent down a box of spare parts, to help Mr Pryce with his quest to tidy up the remaining fleet.
Donations can be made to the Trikes for Ukraine appeal at gofundme.com/f/trikes-for-ukraine.
