Beneficiaries

Wheels of fun put into motion

A North East teenager was given a special Christmas treat thanks to the Sunshine Fund.

Lee Murphy, 16, of Washington, suffers from celebral palsy and spastic dyslegia and until recently could only walk with a tripod.

He has been presented with a brand-new trike by the Sunshine Fund, which arrived just in time for Christmas.

Mum Lynn, 44, a part-time data entry clerk said: “He absolutely loves his trike.

“He’s been riding one since he was five and we take it all over the place. We even take it on holiday.
“Having the trike gives him a bit more independence and makes him feel a bit more normal.

“He can get about these days without his tripod but he tires very easily so this is a great way for him to get exercise.

“His old trike was getting worn and he was a bit too big for it so we really needed a new one.

“We got it just in time for Christmas and he was delighted.”

Lee is a pupil at Portland School, Sunderland. He is the latest in a string of youngsters to have benefited from the Sunshine Fund.

Money is raised through the fundraising efforts of Chronicle readers and the support of the North East business community, as well as local celebrities, for equipment for children whom funding is not available from usual sources.

Daniel Muers, eight, Jessica Goodwin, four, and Paula Johnston, 17, are among the youngsters with mobility problems who have benefited from exercise and greater freedom using specially designed trikes provided by the Sunshine Fund in the last year.

Five-year-old Adam Clark from South Shields also received a new trike on Christmas Eve.

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