Bearsden Boy's Bike Dream Comes True
8 year old Ben can join his family in the great outdoors at last
A young boy with autism and complex learning difficulties has been given a new cycle that will allow him to get out and explore more with his family. Eight year-old Ben Albrow, from Bearsden sometimes finds it difficult to to go outside and enjoy the outdoors. But his new bike will enable him, along with mum Karen and older brother Sam to enjoy the outdoors and be as free as possible. The bike itself is specially adapted to fit onto the back of any other, meaning that his mum or Sam will have to do a lot of pedaling with the help of Ben who himself has his own pedals and handlebar. The family say it will make life easier for the whole family and will further enhance the strong bond between Ben and Sam. They are always looking for things to do and with a park just up the road from their house, mum and brother can't wait to test it out. Mum Karen thinks that this new opportunity will have many advantages for Ben. She said: "He loves cycling, it's great for him because obviously he's using energy. A lot of kids like to just sit there and play with their TV or Play with their screen so getting him out and about and getting him in the community is really important to us. "Loch Lomond is a nice flat area that we probably don't take him to normally and he can see more of nature and be part of the community" The idea of the bike all came from Sam who had been saving up his money in order to purchase the 'tag along' cycle so that they could enjoy more outings together. He saw that his local branch of Santander were running a competition asking young people what they were saving his money for, so Sam decided to enter. Sam didn't win the competition but the bank felt touched by the story they decided to donate the bike as a good will gesture and Karen says she couldn't be more proud of her son: " I'm always amazed at Sam, he is an incredible child. He is always thinking of his brother and I'm always really proud of him. "He'll be immensely proud of himself, I'm sure he'll be going into school tomorrow to tell all of his pals and he'll be just amazed that he'll be able to bring these changes to his brother's life." Pauline Ferrie, Santander Milngavie branch manager said: "We're very proud, when you see the wee boy's face it's absolutely fantastic."