Pupil at Hordean Technology College handed new bike after £350 fundraiser to replace stolen bicycle

Sam Grant, 14, had his bike was stolen from Horndean Technology College on the first day of the school’s partial closure last month.

He was having to cycle to school as his grandfather, who normally collects him, was in self-isolation due to being in a cornavirus vulnerable group.

After seeing Sam in tears, teachers at the school set up a GoFundMe page and within six hours the £350 needed to replace the bike had been raised.

On Friday, Sam – who is attending school as a child of a key worker – was presented with his new bike at school.

Sam said: ‘I was really happy when I got the bike. It’s a much smoother ride and a much better bike than my last one. It’s amazing that so many people came together to help me – particularly at what is a difficult time with coronavirus.’

Sam’s mum Helen Duke, 42, who works at Elmleigh, added: ‘He is now able to get home at 2.15pm rather than 3pm. It’s just lovely that the school was so engaged in wanting to help. We’ve been overwhelmed by how many people have wanted to support Sam.’

A large proportion of the money was donated by generous staff at the school who also bought Sam accessories including a bike cage, bottle and specialised peddles.

Sam’s PE teacher, Carl Duke, arranged to purchase the discounted Scott bike from Hargroves Cycles in Chichester.

After presenting Sam with the bicycle Mr Duke said: ‘Sam was so upset when his bike was stolen and it was fantastic to see a smile on his face.

‘He was really overwhelmed and kept saying “it’s amazing, much better than my old bike”.

‘It was brilliant to see him cycling into school on Monday.’

Sam had been faced with an hour long walk to and from school since his bike was stolen.

Mr Duke added: ‘The new bike is going to make it much easier for Sam to travel to school. It was just great to doing something positive during what is a difficult time for everyone at the moment.’

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