Spending much of his time in a wheelchair, joining his family for a bike ride was inconceivable for Lewis Flint.
With an undiagnosed genetic condition, he's unable to get around on his own and communicates through an electronic aid.
But now his neighbour and part time inventor Les McMahon has made the family's dream a reality after coming up with a trike that lets Lewis get on the road with one of his parents.
Les had seen how Lewis' parents, Dawn and Andy, had struggled to help the teenager experience cycling with the rest of his family, including older brother Cameron, 14.
They had tried options including using straps to attach his hands to handlebars and his feet to pedals but, without his wheelchair, he was left feeling uncomfortable.
That also meant he had to be carried whenever the family reached their destination, which would become more difficult the older he became.
But Les' invention involves a ‘sidecar’ fitted to a bike, with a ramp to roll the wheelchair on and off.
And it means the youngster, described by his mum as a 'white-knuckle child' because of his love of adventure, can finally join his family for a ride in the fresh air.
Dawn, from Ellenbrook, Salford , s aid: “I don’t think we could have found a better neighbour. Les has been phenomenal in the time and energy he’s put in to make this for Lewis so that we can all go out on a bike ride.
"He absolutely loves it and it means we can go for a ride in the sunshine and then go to a café."
And soon Lewis won't be the only one to benefit from Les' invention.
Manchester-based bike brand Insync, owned by Hero Cycles, has teamed up with the retired engineer to refine the invention before making it available to others - at a much cheaper price to alternatives on the market.
Les said: “I’d seen the family struggling and I knew they were really keen on getting Lewis to experience everything an able-bodied child can, so I knew there was a real need for the trike.
"I got lucky in that the design just came together and when Hero invited us to demonstrate the bike it was too good an opportunity to miss.
“It’s quite humbling and uplifting to think you’ve helped somebody with basic DIY skills and it seems inconceivable that, with Hero’s help, we might be able to change other people’s lives, too.”
After drawing up a sketch for the trike, Les spent two to three months making it out of parts donated by various people.
Lewis’s condition means he has other complications which his parents need to look out for, so the design of the trike - at the side of their seat - means they can keep an eye on him at all times.
A video of Les and Lewis using the finished vehicle has already caught the interest of people on YouTube, with people around the world getting in touch to praise his idea and ask where they can get one.
“It’s amazing to think Les made this in his garage and now Hero is going to help him so that other families could benefit like we have,” said Dawn.
Abhishek Pratap Singh, head of design at Insync, said the company was delighted to help.
He said: “We want to make cycling more accessible to everyone, including those with special needs.
"We are very keen to support Les because we can see the difference his trike has made to Lewis’ life and how it could help others."
He added: “Our design team is now working with Les to make his invention more mature and, if this is successful, we’d like to create a trike for the general market so that more families with children with special needs can benefit.
"Our design is set to be much cheaper at around £500 compared with alternatives which start at around £5,000, so our version will be much more accessible to families.
"We are planning to create a ‘flat pack’ kit that will enable families to assemble it at home or alternatively we are going to offer a download design so people can create their own versions of the trike."
