Club members give Luke a special pair of wheels and he was soon on the road getting used to them

Octagon Cycling Club has a special new member in Luke Salvador and his new tandem, bought with funds raised by the club last month.

Luke, the 11 year old nephew of club member Simon Pedley, was born with nystagmus, a condition that causes involuntary eye movement and makes it very difficult to focus on objects or recognise people more than a few metres away. Mr Pedley and the rest of the Octagon Cycling Club members wanted to give Luke the same opportunity as other kids his age to ride a bike

The money was raised by 15 cyclists from the Octagon Cycling Club, based in Ely, on a 100 mile route to Swaffham and back in October

Luke and his family could not wait to try out the new bike and spent several hours touring the area around Ely, immediately after the official hand-over was made in front of Ely Cathedral on Sunday.

Soham Cycles provided the tandem at a specially discounted rate. The Octagon Cycling Club raised more than enough to cover the cost of the tandem, so Luke’s mum is having a towbar fitted to the family car so that the bike can be transported around local forestry areas around Luke’s home so he can explore further afield. Any surplus money left over is going to be donated to a sight charity chosen by Luke.

Club founder Robin Jones said: “It was a real pleasure to be able to present Luke with his new tandem. We all take for granted the fact that we can freely hop on our bikes and explore the local countryside. Now Luke can join his family on their cycle rides.”

Although the Octagon Cycling Club was only founded this year, its members have a long history of setting themselves charity challenges, and the next one will be in the spring for a cancer charity, where it is hoped that they will be joined by some of the children of club members.