A HOYLAND man who has multiple sclerosis says he has been left ‘overwhelmed and teary’ after the community rallied together to raise money for a new ‘lifeline’ trike - after his was stolen by heartless thieves.

Darron Kershaw, 62, has had to live with MS for much of his life but has never let it get him down.

Anyone who frequently travels along the Trans Pennine Trail will have seen Darron clearing up litter on his trike, which he says has covered around 8,000 miles since he bought it two years ago.

He always has a smile on his face and much of that was down to his trike.

Darron said that his ‘life changed’ when he received it as he wasn’t just stuck in the house and was able to go and feed the ducks whenever he wanted.

But last week he was left heartbroken when his trike was stolen in Burngreave while visiting a friend who is paralysed from the waist down.

He told the Chronicle: “I go to visit my friend every Tuesday and help her out.

“I go just over ten miles every week to try and support her.

“I’ve got MS and have quite a bit of difficulty walking.

“But since I’ve had the trike I’ve been able to get out every day.

“On all my journeys if I see some rubbish I have to pick it up because I know I’m only going to see it on the way back.

“I’m sure I’ve filled a bin lorry in that time.

“I go down to feed the ducks every day - it’s my reason to get out the house.”

He admits it was difficult when he realised it had been stolen and when the community found out about the incident it didn’t take long for them to back him.

Carole Shelley, from Elsecar, is a keen litter picker and often sees Darron on the TPT.

She subsequently set up a fundraiser which has raised almost £1,000 for Darron to buy a new trike.

The 64-year-old told the Chronicle: “I know Darron because our paths cross on a regular basis when we’re out and about around the village, particularly on the TPT.

“I’ve only ever known him as Darron and didn’t know anything else about him.

“But he’s always on an electric trike with a dustbin on the back.

“He always stops and we have a chat and over the last two years we’ve got to know him.

“We noticed over the last week or so that we hadn’t seen him.

“We started chatting with other people locally and they said they hadn’t seen him either.

“Then there was a post on the Elsecar Heritage Centre site and somebody happened to mention that his trike had been stolen.

“By chance I spotted him on Monday and he was happy for me to go ahead and try to raise some money.”

Although people may not know Darron personally, they have decided to support him to buy a new trike.

Carole says it’s not something she’d usually do but for Darron she was more than happy to help.

She added: “It’s been utterly devastating.

“But already we’ve raised nearly £1,000 in the first 24 hours.

“People know him by sight and not necessarily in person.

“It’s overwhelming that we’ve raised so much.

“Every time I message him and tell him how things are going, he keeps telling me ‘I’m tearing up’.

“I’m happy to take on community projects which I can manage on my own, but relying on other people’s support is not something I would normally want to do.

“But for Darron, it absolutely is worth it.”

Darron said: “It is overwhelming.

“There’s more people donated than I even know.

“I am really touched that people even care.”

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-get-darron-the-litter-picker-back-on-his-bike