A little boy who suffers from a rare genetic condition affecting his brain and sight has enjoyed his first ever bike ride.

Four-year-old Theo McClelland was born with Muscle Eye Brain Disease-Dystoglycanopathy, which means he is extremely short sighted, unable to move around independently and cannot communicate like other four-year-olds.

Mum Lydia Horsman and dad Gareth McClelland, of Ashbrook Road, Over Alderley, need to fundraise £9,000 each year to fund vital treatment for Theo, which will help his brain development.

But now, thanks to a generous donation from The Boparan Charitable Trust, Theo has been given his own special therapy trike, which will enable him to do the thing he loves and help build stability and core muscles. Lydia, 31, who gave up her job as a science teacher to care for Theo, said: “He loves the feeling of moving around. He can sit up by himself and crawl around on his belly, but he really loves being in his walker and now he has the bike too. It’s like a therapy for him, he really enjoys it.

“It’s a bit of normality for us as a family too, everyone wants to see their four-year-old ride a bike.”

Theo’s disability is a form of Muscular Dystrophy.

Theodore McClelland, pictured with mum Lydia and dad Gareth

The family have been putting most of their fundraising efforts into raising money for innovative treatments for Theo which could help ‘rewire’ his brain and help him communicate in the future. And in March they raised £4,500 by hosting a charity ball in his honour.

But Lydia said she contacted the charity directly for assistance to buy the trike.

She said: “We’ve never reached out to charity before, we try and raise as much money as we can ourselves. But this was something for Theo that he could really enjoy.

“We are so grateful to the Boparan Trust for making it possible for us to have the trike, it will make such a difference to his life and also bring us together as a family”.

Theo goes to Alderley Edge Pre-school and also enjoys Little Stars at Ashgrove, a support playgroup for children with additional needs.

The next fundraising event on the calendar is when Gareth, 35, will take on the tough mudder challenge in September.

To support the fundraising go to https:// www.justgiving.com/fundraising/theosjourney .

For more information about the charity go to theboparancharitabletrust.com.

Theodore McClelland has a rare genetic condition which affects his brain and eyes.