THE life of a little girl has been transformed thanks to the generosity of an Ipswich company.Minnie Sood, who has cerebral palsy, is today the proud owner of a specially designed trike that not only helps to her to play like other children – but is also giving her vital therapy.

A LITTLE girl's life has been transformed thanks to a generous donation from big-hearted workers.

Minnie Sood, who has cerebral palsy, is today the proud owner of a specially designed trike that not only helps to her to play like other children - but is also giving her vital therapy.

Minnie, who will be four later this month, was given the trike by Suffolk charity Disability Care Enterprise (DCE), which helps families improve the quality of life by providing equipment such as Minnie's trike.

And DCE was able to buy the £850 trike thanks to a donation by staff at Ipswich based Fred Olsen Travel.

Each year, the company holds a Summer Ball where staff are asked to buy raffle tickets and the proceeds are always donated to DCE. This year, the ball raised £6,500 for DCE, meaning Minnie is just one of several children who will benefit.

Cathy Arbon, of Fred Olsen, said staff there looked forward to hearing about the people they have helped.

"We did really well this year and we know the money is spent the right way with DCE and we can write back to customers and supporters and can tell them where the money has gone to.

"When you see Minnie's smile when she's on the trike it's great and it makes everything seem worthwhile."

Minnie's mother, Alka Sood, said the trike was already making a huge difference to her daughter's life.

"She has no mobility of her own but on the trike she does, it supports her and helps her to pedal in the right way.

"Sometimes it can be hard to get a child like Minnie to work in physiotherapy - it can be boring for her and she doesn't want to do it. But she'll be on the trike for hours and she's getting therapy through that and doing it in a really fun way.

"Sometimes with treatment I can feel like I'm trying to fill a bottomless pit using a spoon but the therapists say that every little bit does help improve her quality of life in the long term. The beauty of this is that she's getting therapy every single day without even realising it."

Minnie can now play alongside her twin sister Pia and the pair are enjoying their new games together.

"This gives her some independent mobility and that is such a thrill for her," said Mrs Sood.

"She hasn't quite got used to steering the trike yet but she just keeps pedalling!

"It is very kind of the people who were so generous to help us."