By Saul Cooke-Black

TWO kind-hearted police officers are raising money to buy a boy with Down’s Syndrome his own specialised trike.

Parents of Jack Shute, Madia and Malcolm will be running the Stroud Half Marathon in October.

They have already received more than £1,400 in sponsorship, as they aim to raise £2,200 for the specially adapted Tomcat trike.

The trike is specially designed to encourage the cyclist to use their own strength to pedal, while it also comes with a towing adapter.

Mrs Shute, 46, from Bussage, said: “Jack loves the outdoors and going on family days out but at the moment he has to go on the back of his dad’s bike.

“Having his own trike would benefit Jack in huge ways.

“From an exercise point of view he would benefit and it would also help his self-esteem.

“He would be able to take part in family outings as an active family member instead of just being an observer.

“It would be wonderful to see Jack sat on his own bike with his own independence.”

Eight-year-old Jack attends The Shrubberies School in Stonehouse.

He is deaf and has very limited speech .

When he had a one-day trial on a trike his mum said he ‘thoroughly enjoyed it’ and within five minutes he was trying to push the pedals himself.

Running a distance of more than 13 miles will be a challenge for parents Madia and Malcolm, neither of whom are experienced runners.

“We have started doing some training and we are looking forward to it, though we are both a bit nervous,” said Mrs Shute.

“You have to put yourself through a challenge to get something in return though.

To sponsor Madia and Malcolm visit https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/madia-shute-1.