A brilliant charity which organises surprise meet and greets with favourite TV stars
made a young teens day in Burscough!

Christopher Hardman had his greatest wish - to meet Mark Hayes and Steve Harris from the hit Channel 5 television show, Emergency Bikers - granted last Thursday thanks to Rays of Sunshine (www.raysofsunshine.org.uk)

He's currently living with an undiagnosed neuromuscular condition, and has undergone spinal surgery to correct a 90 curve in his spine. Due to his condition, Christopher must have daily physiotherapy treatment and doesn’t now know what his future holds in terms of treatment, as doctors have never seen a condition like his before.

But Christopher's a very positive young person who thrives on interacting with others - and loves to meet and talk to new people. He’s also described by his parents as being quite the daredevil who likes everything ‘the faster the better’.

To make his dream of meeting his favourite television stars become a reality, Rays of Sunshine worked closely with Channel 5’s Emergency Bikers Mark and Steve to organise a very special visit.

And to make the day extra special for Christopher, his parents decided to keep the visit from Mark and Steve a complete surprise! During the wish, Christopher had the chance to ask Mark and Steve lots of questions about what it’s like to be an ‘Emergency Biker’ and heard stories about their many years of being paramedics.

He even had a chance to sit on one of the emergency service motorcycles himself and take lots of pictures with the television stars.

Following his wish, Natalie, Christopher’s mum, told QLocal: "As soon as the Emergency Bikers pulled onto our drive, he knew exactly who they were even before they removed their helmets.

"The excitement on his face was wonderful to see and even though he was utterly lost for words, the experience was amazing for both him, and us as a family too. He hasn't stopped talking about it since!

"Thank you to Rays of Sunshine for such a wonderful experience and memory.”

Jane Sharpe, CEO of Rays of Sunshine, added: “We can’t be more thankful to the Emergency Bikers, Mark and Steve, or helping us grant such a special wish for Christopher and taking time out to put such a huge smile on his face. Every day Rays of Sunshine gives brave and deserving young people the chance to put their illness on hold and this wish is no exception.”

Rays of Sunshine was set up to brighten up the lives of children with serious and life-limiting conditions aged between 3 and 18 across the United Kingdom, and the the charity grants individual wishes, hospital ward wishes and hosts outings and events for large groups of seriously ill children.