Crawley Halfords team go extra mile to help with bike purchase

The Halfords team in Crawley has been thanked after they went the extra mile to help a young man get his first bike.
The Crawley Halfords team and very happy MarkThe Crawley Halfords team and very happy Mark
The Crawley Halfords team and very happy Mark

Kelly Monniot, Registered Manager at a Residential Children’s Home in South West London, has written to the staff thanking them for helping a resident from the home.

She said: “I wasn’t sure of the reaction I was going to get when asking a member of staff at Halfords if they could adapt a bike for a young person with autism and complex needs.

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“The member of staff, Chris, straight away showed an interest and carefully listened to the needs of the rider.

“He was able to suggest lots of ideas, including removing the gears from the handle bars and attaching adult stabilizers as the rider was still learning a thing or two about balance!

“There were no boundaries, just solutions and we were soon on our way to creating a bespoke bike for Mark.

“Chris said for best practice purposes it would be beneficial of Mark to visit the store to be measured and fitted for the bike and a helmet; I was concerned about this as Mark is extremely sensitive to noise, often resulting in some display of challenging behaviour.

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“Chris put my fears for Mark at ease straight away and offered to stay late and to keep the store open so Mark could come in at a time suited to his needs.

“When we arrived everything was ready for Mark. He was fitted for a helmet and protective gear without any fuss.

“Not only did we receive an excellent service from Halfords and their staff, we received compassion, understanding and inclusion – what every child with autism wants.

“A special thanks to Chris and Dave for staying late and putting in that little bit extra, it went a long way.”

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