Family of autistic boy get on their bikes to raise money for the nursery which has transformed his life

Parents and grandparents are cycling form Sunderland to York to raise money for Boldon Nursery School.

Transcript

00:00Okay, and Brian, I understand your son Finlay comes from nursery school here, so just what

00:06a difference have they made to his education and to his life at the moment?

00:09They've been amazing. He was really struggling before he came here. Then he's come to this

00:13nursery and now he's like a different kid, so I couldn't kind of thank them enough.

00:17And obviously you're Finlay's grandad, so why were you so keen to do this bike ride

00:21then?

00:22Well, the first day I came here with our Finlay, I just felt a great emotion upwards, because

00:28our Finlay loved it, if you remember rightly. And in the... is it 18 months he's been here?

00:3618 months?

00:3718 months.

00:3818 months.

00:39The change in our Finlay is tremendous, and it's really down to the staff here and Lisa.

00:45So what's the challenge going to entail, and where are you cycling from, where are you

00:48cycling to?

00:49We're leaving from the Gunners Club in Sunderland, and we're travelling to Sunderland, New York.

00:54I understand, Lisa, the money's being used to raise funds for an outdoor learning space,

00:59is that right?

01:00Yes, so we are predominantly outdoor based, but this will give children another space

01:06where we can do lots of lovely things, especially for those children who need something a little

01:11bit different.

01:12And how much is it going to cost for this whole project that you're looking to do?

01:16So overall, it's going to come in at around £25,000.

01:20And I know you've already raised a few thousand pounds towards this, so what's your target

01:26you're trying to get?

01:28Ideally, £25,000, to be fair. I'm looking at anywhere between £10,000 and £15,000.

01:34And just how much of a difference will this facility make for the kids here?

01:38It'll make a massive difference, it just gives us somewhere else where we can facilitate

01:42all of those extra experiences for children that, at the moment, we struggle to find a

01:49space for. Everybody's in the garden for around 80% of their session here, but this

01:56new space just makes sure that we have got another hub outside where we can deliver that.

02:03Anyone thought of the challenge?

02:04Can't yet.