IT was a pleasure to see your picture of Frank(lin) Medhurst, the 89-year-old cycling enthusiast who had part of a leg amputated, riding his special tricycle – above – (Echo, Oct 10). He is a real inspiration to anybody inclined to “give up” (and even to those not so inclined).

I know Frank treasures his independence and is deeply grateful to the North-East charity Gateway Wheelers, which lent him a semi-recumbent trike to try out, advised him on choosing his own appropriate trike, and customised it for him when it arrived. This wasn’t a “one-off” for Frank – it does this for people with all sorts of disabilities.

Frank has always been a keen cyclist and this trike has given him back the freedom to enjoy the countryside and meet interesting people – a Lycra-wearing cyclist even turned off his route to cycle with Frank and chat about the bike.

However, you don’t have to be superfit or even a real cycling enthusiast to benefit from such a bike.

As someone who knows Frank, I’d like to say thank you to the Gateway Wheelers for helping him and also for customising it for him when it arrived. Well done, all of you.

Chris Eddowes, Hartlepool.