AN ORPHAN from South Africa is mounting his bike and speeding towards a brighter future thanks to workers at a north Hampshire hotel.

Staff at Tylney Hall country house hotel in Rotherwick, near Hook, rallied together and raised £100 in an effort to make 10-year-old Tumi Masombuku's wish for a brand-new bicycle come true.

The orphan lost his entire family and now lives at a children's home and refuge run by the Kingsway organisation, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He was over the moon with his bike and safety equipment.

In a letter to staff, he wrote: "Thank you for my bicycle. I ride it every day."

Taryn George, the business development manager at Tylney Hall, told colleagues about Tumi's plight after her mother, who works as a teacher at Kingsway School, met him.

Ms George said: "Tumi began school later than normal and was working very hard at trying to catch up with his friends who started at the normal age.

"We thought a bike would provide him with some encouragement to help him with his reading and writing as well as help him get around. "I mentioned it to my collea-gues and we clubbed together to make this little boy's dream come true." Ms George visited South Africa last month for a holiday and took the opportunity to present Tumi with his surprise. She said: "He was absolutely thrilled. "My mother has told me that he has done really well at school since receiving his bike. "He is also sharing it with the other boys at the refuge house and they have learned how to cycle, taking it in turns to ride." The Kingsway organisation has 230 children in its care. It receives a government sub-sidy that covers less than half of the annual running cost and relies on donations.