Appeal for Bristol worker's specially-adapted bike reaches £6k

Mr Cappelletti has thanked people for their help and dedication in helping him eventually get back to work

A wheelchair user whose specially-adapted bike was stolen says he is "immensely grateful" after a GoFundMe raised almost £6,000 for a new one.

David Cappelletti, a delivery driver, said he "didn't know what to do" when he found his bike missing from his garage near Eastville Park, Bristol on Thursday March 10.

It was found trashed by Staple Hill tunnel the following morning.

Mr Cappelletti said: "I want to thank everyone who donated."

Father of three, Mr Cappelletti who works for Deliveroo and Uber, realised his wheelchair adapted bike had been stolen after he got up to go to work.

Riders across Bristol then helped search the area and it was eventually spotted on a stolen motorcycling Facebook group.

After finding his bike was not repairable - Mr Cappelletti said his friend, Felippe Chagas, then decided to set up a fundraising campaign to help replace it and get Mr Cappelletti back to work - initially setting a target of £5,000.

The bike was eventually found after a stranger posted an image of the abandoned trike to a stolen motorcycling group on Facebook

Mr Chagas told BBC Radio Bristol that he immediately wanted to help his friend, Mr Cappelletti, after he had messaged into their WhatsApp group angry and desperate that his bike had been stolen.

"We couldn't believe, like who an Earth could get a specifically disabled scooter and destroy it. Clearly they stole it for fun," Mr Chagas said.

Since the GoFundMe was set up, more than 373 people have donated - including people from as far as New Zealand and Austria.

Mr Chagas said: "We just couldn't believe it. It was amazing."

Mr Chagas said he never expected such a good response from people and the success of the campaign has made him very proud of Bristol and the people that live there.

He said that the extra money will go to Mr Cappelletti to help towards loss of earnings .

"It'll be around 40 days of working without any income and so of course, he's still got bills to pay. He's got three kids and a wife - so the money will go towards groceries and stuff," Mr Chagas added.