Mum plans tractor surprise for son's school farewell

Mum Sarah appealed on social media for help to arrange the special surprise

A mum says her plea for her tractor-loving son to arrive at school on his favourite mode of transport has had a "phenomenal" response from the community.

Ryan, 16, from Long Eaton in Derbyshire, is due to leave Stanton Vale School, a school for children with severe learning disabilities, after eight years.

Ryan's mother Sarah said he would be attending a leaver's assembly, rather than a "prom", on Thursday, and she has arranged for him to arrive on a tractor.

Sarah reached out for help on Facebook in an attempt to organise a "special ride" to the event, and was "overwhelmed" with the response.

Ryan's mum said Stanton Vale School in Long Eaton helped him through struggles with his daily life

Sarah said: "Because Ryan's at special needs school, they don't go to a prom like at other schools, they just have a leaver's dinner, and Ryan asked me if he could have some nice transport to take him to his leaver's assembly."

In a quick attempt to make Ryan's hopes a reality, the 36-year-old posted anonymously in a Long Eaton Facebook group, offering to pay if a local business could help.

"Within an hour of our post, we'd had about 80 replies, numerous transportation offers; everything from tractors and motorcycles to horses to BMWs - its been phenomenal," she said.

Ryan was left with brain damage due to the poor care he received at Nottingham City Hospital as a newborn baby, which Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, later accepted responsibility for.

Sarah was told at the time that her son would never walk or talk, but he "exceeded all expectations", and will soon leave school with qualifications in English, maths, information technology and woodwork, before going to college.

'Bowled over'

A tree surgeon firm, Maple Tree Care, based in Sandiacre, Derbyshire, offered to take Ryan to his leaver's assembly in a tractor and even take him for a drive after school on Thursday.

Managing director Liam Webb said he had been tagged in the comments of Sarah's Facebook plea numerous times.

"I reached out to her and she told me about her son," he said. "I told her we were happy to help, but we didn't want anything for it - it's not a problem for us."

A biker group also offered to stage a convoy behind Ryan, Sarah said.

She added: "I'm just bowled over by the local community. When you have a child with a brain injury, you just want them to feel as included as possible and do all the things that other children do.

"And going to the prom and going in a fancy car seems to be a huge thing these days - so it's been absolutely emotional craziness that this has happened, and I'm so grateful to every single person that offered to help him."

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