Tom’s story
In 1997, Bob Griffin founder of Tomcat, met his wife Anne, and her son Thomas who had Angelman’s syndrome; a profound disability, typified by severe learning difficulties, sleep disturbance and poor coordination.
One day Anne made the casual remark that would change not only their lives, but the lives of disabled children worldwide. “If only we could tire Tom out”, she said, “he’d sleep all night and so could we!”
Tom required 24 hour supervision so exercise or outdoor activity was all but impossible on safety grounds. Cycling seemed the answer, but in 1998 special needs trikes were crude contraptions; little used outside school for weight and safety reasons. Something revolutionary was needed!
An invention with a purpose
Six months later Bob built the very first trike for riders with learning difficulties and visual impairment; furthermore, it did not look like a trike built for disabled children. It had lightness for ease of use and lightning fast transportability and a revolutionary rear steering and braking arm with park brake and speed regulation to put the carer in control.
Suddenly, Tom’s many problems evaporated and he cycled an astonishing three miles on his first attempt, laughing all the way. Bob recalls the day as a “wonderful, safe, rewarding, memorable, sunny day.”
Life changing trikes accessible to everyone
Tomcat trikes certainly turned the tricycle industry on its head by offering a bespoke solution to those families who thought cycling was entirely beyond their reach. So, what was initially a good idea turned into an innovative business.
Over the past twenty years Tomcat has become the leading light of the trike industry, with many innovations becoming industry standard by which all other trikes are judged. Tomcat has also been recognised for the difference it has made to people’s lives by the many awards it has won; including Britain’s highest business accolade – The Queen’s Award for innovation.
Quality isn’t expensive it’s priceless
The impact that Tomcat trikes has had on the disabled community would not have been possible without the funding support of charities like Gloucestershire Disability Fund and in Guy’s particular case Words for the Wounded, (WforW helps ill and injured veterans) Guy’s trike was presented by two members of the Tomcat team in the company of Guy’s friends, members of the supporting charities and family.
Photography credit: GloucestershireLive
But Guy, himself a mature student at the University of Gloucestershire tells us that the original impetus came from a third year University of Gloucestershire student George Helder who started a GoFundMe page to raise money towards the bike after Guy had attended a Wheels for All at the Prince of Wales stadium and saw something that would benefit him enormously – exercise and transport. Another friend, Tracey approached the trustees at the Gloucestershire Disability Fund for help and Guy contacted Words for the Wounded.
Guy, who was placed third with a poem in a Words for the Wounded writing award some years ago says: I have Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, Polycythemia Ruba Vera which puts in me in the LINC unit of Edward Jenner at Glos Royal every two weeks – it’s a red blood cell cancer / disorder, and Chronic Thrombo Embolic Pulmonary Hypertension (try saying that after a visit to the pub) which is a lung disorder that puts pressure on my heart. Rest assured, I’m off to get a heart rate monitor this afternoon.
So the obvious thing to do, as my son would say, is ‘go hard or go home’.
I plan to spend my future running and promoting the charity I’ve set up called Shepherding the Mind using dogs, horses and poetry for unlooked for mindfulness. And being a clown, I’ve got the badges to get away with it.’
Guy has set himself a gobsmacking challenge for himself, and his Tomcat trike. Painted pink in aid of breast cancer awareness – the trike, not Guy though Frost Magazine wouldn’t put it past him – Guy is intent on not only being able to walk his wonderful companion, the German Shepherd, Zen, but – and here’s the challenge – he is intending to cycle the entire length of the A40 on a charity fundraising mission. During the journey he hopes to have a Riding for the Disabled Association pony with him as well as Zen.
Bob Griffin of Tomcat says “Tomcat will always try and find a way for disabled children and adults to integrate into mainstream sport activities like cycling because it has so many health and social integration benefits. At its best, cycling can change the future from life spent in a wheelchair to walking, and that is a rite of passage to us all. For us as engineers, there can be no better reward than that.”
http://www.tomcatuk.org Or phone: 01452 616900