Claydon/Ipswich: Hundreds of cyclists in sponsored bike ride at Foxhall Stadium to help Luke, 10, live a more independent life

Sponsored bike ride at Foxhall Stadium to raise money for severely disabled Luke Cattermole so he can buy a special bike Luke pictured with Mum Kirsty and Dad Peter.

Family and friends of 10-year-old Luke Cattermole, whose cerebral palsy and epilepsy leaves him confined to a wheelchair, organised Saturday’s event in Foxhall Stadium to raise funds for a £4,500 specialist bike.

Luke’s father, Peter Cattermole, 40, said he was “shocked and amazed” by the support.

“I’ve been really overwhelmed with the response from everybody,” he said. “It choked me up.”

Mr Cattermole, who lives in Claydon, his wife Kirsty, Luke and their two other sons Kyle, four, and Aidan, one, hope the new bike, which can be fitted to Luke’s wheelchair, will help him play with his friends more independently.

“He lives his life in his wheelchair but with this he can be like a normal little boy,” he said.

Many of the cyclists were pupils from Claydon Primary School, which Luke attends one day a week, and Mr Cattermole’s colleagues at Tex engineering, who helped build a four-person bike for the event.

Funds raised on the day from sponsorship and raffle tickets will be added to the £1,000 raised separately by the family and a further £1,000 donated by the Town 102 radio station.

Mr Cattermole has thanked everyone for their support, businesses for donating to the raffle and his colleagues who helped build the bike.