THE parents of a Barrow tot diagnosed with a rare genetic condition feel ‘overwhelmed’ after a group of cyclists volunteered to fundraise for his therapy.

Matthew and Vicki Sloan weren’t aware of their son Bobby’s ‘super rare’ condition until he was born.

Bobby, who turns five in October, has a genetic condition which causes visual impairment and developmental delay.

Vicki – who works at Furness Academy – said only 33 people in the world have Bobby’s condition.

The 40-year-old said: “Because of how rare it is, and what’s said about it online – it’s not a good read, so we don’t want to publicly say what condition he has.

“He’s slow to learn things – he has developmental delay and visual impairment.

“If I could tell myself what I know now, I wouldn’t have worried as much. We don’t know any different as parents.

“He is such a cheeky chappy. He’s a real character.”

Bobby has attended Lynwood Day Nursery in Barrow since he was nine months old and is heading to Sandside School in Ulverston this September.

Unhappy with the treatment he was receiving under the NHS, Matthew and Vicki sought private intervention for Bobby including physiotherapy and speech therapy.

The couple are making a near 600-mile round trip from Barrow to Somerset for Bobby’s private sessions, which costs £400 per appointment.

The family spend two nights down there per trip, forking out on accommodation and substantial fuel costs.

“It’s so worth it,” Vicki said.

“What Bobby gets out of it is absolutely fantastic.

“We’ve definitely seen an improvement since Bobby has gone to speech and physio.”

A group of BAE workers have decided to cycle from Barrow to Jarrow to help fundraise for Bobby.

On September 16, Chris McDonald, Alan Taylor, Adam Fearns, Mark Hessletine, Harley Dallison and Dave Stokoe are taking on the epic ride, cycling 146 miles in just one day.

“Me and my husband were just blown away,” said Vicki.

“We would pay for all the therapy ourselves; it just takes money away from other things like family holidays. This just means we can do fun things as well as the physio and speech therapy.

“We’re so overwhelmed by the fundraiser – it’s so lovely people keep thinking of Bobby. It’s amazing. We’re so grateful for what they’re doing for us.”

And the fundraiser has already received more than £1,000 in donations towards Bobby’s therapy.

“We can’t thank people enough for donating. Their donations could help Bobby to be more amazing than he already is,” said Vicki.

To make a donation, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/barrow-to-jarrow