Alana is 9 years old and enjoys sensory activities which help her to feel calm.

She also loves visiting Free Wheel North, a charity providing cycle training for all alongside sessions where children of all abilities can try a variety of adapted bikes and trikes.

Previously, Alana would attend these sessions every Sunday but the pandemic has meant that many of these were cancelled over the past year. Alana’s dream was to have an adapted trike of her very own.

Alana has autism and as well as finding communication really difficult, using her fine and gross motor skills is also a challenge. She often gets anxious and frustrated because she can’t tell others what she wants or needs, something many of us take for granted.

The cycling sessions really built Alana’s confidence. She was a bit nervous of the trikes at first but once the staff were able to find the perfect trike for her, she loved her time there.

Alana needs a trike where she can slot her feet in (without feeling trapped by straps) as they often come off the pedals. Due to her low attention span, Alana can find cycling tiring and needs to take lots of breaks.

Alana is part of a big and close family. Having her own trike means that she can join in with her cousins, who are the same age as her. In the past, she has been left out when they go out on their scooters as she cannot scooter due to her coordination difficulties.

Now that she has a trike of her own, she can go along on their adventures and feel included in all the fun.
Alana’s mum Linda told us “Alana’s trike was delivered on Christmas Eve, she’s been out on it many times since and she’s loved every minute, full of confidence on it and one very happy girl. Loves her helmet too and it’s great it has the parents handle as well as it means I can keep her safe at the same time.

It’s totally made both our Christmas’s as it’s been great for me seeing her so happy and confident on a trike specialised to her needs.”

Alana's dream was delivered by our Hidden Communities programme, reaching out to families in some of the most disadvantaged communities and making a huge difference to seriously ill children.

Special thanks to Kentown Wizard Foundation and to all our wonderful staff team at Dreams Come True for making this happen for Alana!

Her smile says it all!