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Deafblind cyclist appeals for bike rider buddy

John DevineBBC News, East of England, Bretton
John Devine/BBC Two men ride on a red surrey bike, one in a blue fleece, the other in a red t-shirt, the machine has four-wheels and two sets, it has a white canopy on top it is being ridden on a street with a white BBC van parked on the side on the road. There are houses visible in the background.John Devine/BBC
Graham Hicks, right, said the Surrey bike came in kit form with thousands of parts, which he constructed in just three days

A man who is registered deaf and blind hoped to find a cyclist willing to be his eyes and ears on fun trips around his city on a "bicycle" made for two.

Graham Hicks, 64, from Bretton, Peterborough, was born blind and became profoundly deaf during childhood.

For the past 16 years, he has run his own cycle repair business, but after experiencing issues with his balance, he had to give up his passion for riding tandems in his spare time.

He built a four-wheeled Surrey bike, for two riders seated side by side, and recently made modifications to make it power-assisted, for easier pedalling. He appealed for cyclists who wanted to ride and experience the fresh air with him.

John Devine/BBC Graham Hicks, 64, has short grey hair with a fringe near the top of his head, he is wearing a red T-shirt and behind him are various tools and machines for mending bikes and some bike frames too.John Devine/BBC
Graham Hicks said if someone could steer the bike for him, he could help pedal and trips to Ferry Meadows can be undertaken from his Bretton home

Mr Hicks has limited speech and uses a system called the deaf blind manual to communicate with his support worker, Linda Hindmarch, 74.

"I built my Surrey cycle in about three days", said Mr Hicks.

He added that the bike came in kit form in a huge box and contained literally thousands of parts, which he assembled by himself.

Graham Hicks Graham Hicks has grey hair and and a black top is making adjustments to a bike, it just the frame of a striking yellow and red and green cycle, behind him are various tools and machines, with other bikes hanging up.Graham Hicks
Mr Hicks said he went to college to learn bike maintenance and took business studies. He said he could carry out all manner of cycle repairs and does it all "by touch"

Mr Hicks said he was appealing for riders to join him because he would like to get out in the fresh air as much as possible.

"I want to meet more people who like cycling, it is something we can do and enjoy together," he added.

Mr Hicks said he particularly loved the thrill of going fast around corners and said his Surrey bike was built to tackle lots of different kinds of terrain, so it could go off-road if required.

John Devine/BBC Linda Hindmarch, 74, has grey hair down to her shoulder tops, she has a fringe down to her eye brows, she is wearing a dark blue and white diamond patterned top, with a thin gold chain around her neck, she has thin gold framed glasses on too.John Devine/BBC
Linda Hindmarch said she has been working with Mr Hicks for more than 15 years

The Cambridgeshire Deaf Association (CDA) said Mr Hicks is a remarkable man who has never let his deafblindness affect his ability to achieve remarkable goals.

It added that many deafblind people struggle to access the support they need with specialist communication, but Mr Hicks is determined to teach others, improve access and ensure that he is still able to be active.

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