GAZETTE & HERALD: PLUCKY Lydia Cross was thrilled to receive a magnificent new bicycle for Christmas and parents Jodie and Tony Cross were delighted to see her cycling for the first time.
Lydia, three, had both her legs amputated below the knee before Christmas last year but the three-year-old has risen to the challenge of growing up with prosthetic limbs.
"She has always wanted a bike," said Mrs Cross. "This one is pink and purple with a bell and tassels it's very girly."
The bike was a present from Mrs Cross's parents Cathy and Brian Evans and was handed over to Lydia on Christmas Day when the Cross family visited their grandparents
Her prosthetic legs make the task of learning to ride a bike more difficult and she cannot yet make the pedals do a full circle but she can cycle by pushing the pedals in little jabs.
The family enjoyed a magical Christmas and little Lydia was thrilled to find that Father Christmas had left snowy footprints through the house from the fireplace and the Christmas fairies had sprinkled magic glitter in their wake.
"Lydia was thrilled," Mrs Cross said. "Christmas was lovely."
Readers of the Gazette and Herald raised £53,000 for Lydia after reading of her illness and the loss of her legs.
The money will help pay for the prosthetic legs she needs as she grows.
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