A dream has come true for disabled youngster Amy Steelyard now she has a brand new bike all of her own.

It was given to the exuberant and spirited five-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, by the Chippenham Lions and Round Table groups.

"She was delighted," said mum Judy Steelyard, of Britain Close, Chippenham.

"The first thing she does when she wakes up is to say 'Bike! Amy bike'."

Mrs Steelyard and her husband John had wanted to find an adapted trike for Amy for some time, but had been told it could cost around £1,000.

So the couple wrote to the Lions and the Round Table to ask if they would consider making them a grant.

"They both replied and said they would help," said Mrs Steelyard. "It only took a few days. They said they would split the bill down the middle."

The new trike has a seat support to hold Amy around the middle, and the foot pedals have Velcro straps to help keep her feet in place.

It is also designed to help her keep her knees well aligned, and it has a handle at the back which can be used to push her along, although she can propel it herself on flat ground.

Amy has mental and physical disabilities and Mrs Steelyard is her full-time carer.

She attends St Nicholas School in Chippenham. "It makes her very happy and she has lots of friends there," said Mrs Steelyard.

She communicates using sign language, which the Steelyards and Amy's 12-year-old brother Matt have learned, but she is also learning to speak and is progressing in leaps and bounds.

"Every day she learns something new," said Mrs Steelyard. "Her speech is really starting to come on."

Amy has lots of friends around her home and Mrs Steelyard said the other children treated her just like any other child, taking no notice of her disabilities.

Peter Gedge, of the Chippenham Lions, said the organisation was always looking to help worthwhile causes. "This was a fantastic opportunity," he said. "Now Amy has the freedom to be out there playing with her friends."