Help Lucas get the bike he needs

Lucas is a lovely 8 years old boy with ASD and ADHD. He is very clever, with limited speech, but most of the time has a smile on his face. People in Lakepoint, Mullingar will know Lucas as a happy boy, who loves wheelie bins and loves to tidy them from the street, when they are empty. This is his obsession and he does it every day. His disability has taught us a lot and has an affect on our family and our family trips. We can't do any picnics, we can't go to a coffee shop to sit and enjoy a coffee, we can't just sit in the park and enjoy the weather, we can't go to the cinema as a family, we struggle to manage any trips outside, with friends. Lucas is very active, all the time on the run. We can't do a lot of things, where it is expected Lucas will sit for a while. But what we can do is go for walks and cycling trips. I do not drive. So when my husband is at work, and I need to go somewhere, I have Lucas with me and we have to walk. I’ve previously used a special buggy for Lucas or bicycle with a bike seat. Now, Lucas won’t use the buggy anymore as he's aware, he is a big boy and perceives the buggy as being for younger children. Unfortunately he is too big for a bike seat as well. We tried to find some solution, but he didn't want to sit nicely in any bike trailer. Lucas doesn't know how to ride a bike or scooter by himself. But in his case it will be dangerous anyway, as he has very poor concentration and more likely when riding a bike, he will look around and look for wheelie bins! Second thing is, Lucas is not aware of cars, so when we are outside, we have to keep an eye on him all the time.

Lucas accesses horse riding therapy and swimming but He is missing our bike trips. It seems, we have finally found a solution, if we can raise the additional funds. We found a cargo bicycle that suits Lucas the best. Unfortunately it is very expensive and is well over our budget. Like all parents, I always want only the best for my child but I know that cargo bike is very expensive. I have never ever asked for help before and I know that some cargo bikes are cheaper. We tried the cheaper one as well, but unfortunately it didn't suit Lucas. A lot of people might say, it is a luxury to have a bike like this. I know it is, but this bike will help us as a family. We can do longer trips with Lucas and he can sit comfortably and more importantly, safely, on the look out for wheelie bins. Our budget is €2000, the cost of the bike is €5850.

We cannot express enough, how grateful we would be to anyone that could help support our fundraising. Thank you for taking the time to read our story.