Delight as Bourne firefighters present schoolgirl Tallulah Tyler with special trike

A smiley schoolgirl with a rare illness can now go on bike rides with her family - thanks to her town’s kind-hearted firefighters.

Crew members at Bourne fire station have spent the last four months raising more than £1,800 to buy a special tricycle for eight-year-old Tallulah Tyler.

And on Sunday (March 15) they presented the flashy pink trike to the delighted youngster and her mum Tammy.

Watch manager Adam Dowsett said: “It was great! To be able to provide something like this for an innocent girl who came into this world with these problems is amazing.

“It’s such a simple thing but the fact she can now go out with her family on bike rides is brilliant. It was really quite heart-warming to see how much it meant to her and her mum.”

He added: “We’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone in the town and community who helped us raise the money.”

Tallulah, who attends Willoughby School, was born with a rare genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome.

It means she has learning difficulties, behavioural problems, weak muscles and developmental delay as well as a constant hunger which is managed by a strict diet.

Mum Tammy, of Great Northern Gardens in Bourne, wrote about her daughter’s condition and the benefits the trike would bring on the firefighters’ Just Giving page.

Writing from Tallulah’s point of view, she said: “The syndrome I have is very complex and I see a lot of doctors and I have a lot of blood taken. I have physio daily to help with my muscle tone as exercise is difficult for me, I tire very easily as I have such low muscle and if I walk too far I have a lot of pain in my joints, this makes me upset because I can’t explain the pain or how I feel.

“If I am fortunate enough to have a trike I could then join my family and friends on bike rides and trips out. This would help build up my muscles and also give me vital exercise as I gain weight very easily.

“My mum gives me a daily injection to help me grow but to have regular exercise would be a great benefit and also give me my own independence."

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