WHEN little Freddie Palin was born missing one hand, his parents were worried about what his life would be like. Now, at the age of seven, he’s aiming to be a Paralympic champion.

Freddie, from Faringdon, was just one of about 25 children enjoying a party at the Oxford Centre for Enablement on Saturday in the inspiring comapny of Paralympians Charlie Walker and Julie Rogers.

Freddie’s mother Hannah Palin said: “We have been coming here since Freddie was six months old.

“He was born that way and it was terrifying when we found out. However, they have been extremely helpful here. Whatever you ask of them, they will give it a go.

“They have given him a prosthesis for his bike. He loves to ride and it means he won’t get a curvature of the spine. He has already decided he wants to be a Paralympic cyclist.”

The prosthesis is an attachment for the bike which allows Freddie to cycle using both arms.

Freddie said: “I like going really fast when I cycle. My next door neighbour has got a faster bike than me but I can still beat him. The bike attachment has helped me.”

Mr Walker and Miss Rogers two members of the GB Paralympic sitting volleyball team.

Mr Walker said: “For amputees sometimes sport is the last thing on your mind, but it is great seeing the children running around together here.

“If you want to do something there is normally a prosthesis to help you do it.”

Staff at the Oxford Centre for Enablement design prostheses to help their patients do what ever activities they set their mind to.

Hayley Nash, from Wood Farm, Oxford, brought her daughter Joci to the party. The seven-month-old will soon receive her first prosthesis. Her mother said: “Joci can crawl and is quite advanced for her age. However, it is definitely reassuring to come here and see the other children.”

As well as taking part in sport, the children were shown around a fire engine and police van, met animals such as armadillos and meerkats, and had their faces painted.

Anne Marie Van Es, a senior occupational therapist who organised the party, said: “There is a really friendly atmosphere here. “We try to hold this every year. It is really nice for the children to come together and have a nice time with others like themselves.

“It is also nice that the focus is on children having fun and not on children having prostheses.”

The Oxford Centre for Enablement opened at its site next to the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in 2001 to provide care and support for disabled people across six counties.

Dr David Henderson Slater, clinical director at the centre, said: “Rehabilitation is about real life and getting on with whatever problems you have.

“The therapists spend a lot of their time trying to enable people to keep living their lives.”