A BOOMING small business which has been inspired by a teen, whose illness is so rare it is not yet medically understood, is raffling off an impressive prize in aid of charity.

Fastrikes, a enterprise dedicated to adapting motorcycles into three wheeled trikes, is raffling off one of its adaptations to raise money for forces charity Help For Heroes.

Lee Farmer set up the business as the flexibility allowed him to care for his disabled son Jack.

Lee is proud of the success of the business so far, and described it as his son Jack’s ‘legacy’.

Jack, 18, is one of around 250 people in the world to have alternating hemiplegia of childhood, a disability so rare it is not yet completely medically understood.

About his experience of work while also trying to be a carer for Jack, Lee said: “Employers were as understanding as they could be until they couldn’t afford to be anymore.”

After the steady success of his solo venture, Lee is inspired to do his bit for a good cause.

He said: “Help For Heroes is a charity close to our hearts, being from an army family.

“We have over 7,500 Facebook followers and they were commenting on this trike that we built saying how it was very nice and how they wish they could afford one, and I thought ‘well maybe you can’.”

Alongside the trike, the prize includes £1,000 for the winner, with two runner up prizes of £500 also up for grabs.

Lee had sold 2,995 tickets by the start of this week, but hopes to sell over 6,000 at a cost of £2 per ticket.

The business name stands for father and son trikes, but Jack is unable to ride any of Lee’s customised vehicles.

He said: “I would love for Jack to go on a trike one day but I would need to build a specially-modified trike as Jack is in a wheelchair and he can’t hold himself up.

“I would love to make one with an armchair and a seatbelt.”

Entry to the raffle will close at midnight on Friday, December 14 and the draw will take place at 1pm Saturday, December 15.

For more information, call 01264 366663 or go to fastrikes.co.uk.