A little boy with a huge love of Metrolink was all smiles after transport bosses sent him a surprise bag of goodies. Isaac Hardman, four, adores all things to do with the region's tram system, and, according to his mum, watches trams everyday on YouTube on his tablet.
He knows the names of the majority of the network's 99 individual stops - from Bury to Altrincham - and loves Bowker Vale stop near his home in north Manchester best. Isaac, who is awaiting a formal diagnosis of autism, loves the colour yellow especially, said his mum Rebekah, 25, from Middleton.
She emailed Metrolink's customer services department to ask about the availability of any tram-themed merchandise for him. Then just days later, a package for Isaac arrived at their home - leaving him 'over the moon'.
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It was filled with Metrolink goodies inside two bags - including a map of the network, pens, a book and bookmark, a Metrolink bottle and even a special torch.
Rebekah, who is currently on maternity leave with Isaac's five-month-old baby brother, shared the post and her thanks in a heart-melting social media post that's now gone viral.
She said: "He has autism and is waiting to be diagnosed, but has a real passion and love for Metrolink. He vis totally obsessed with the trams.
"It started when he was two-years-old and has just gone on from there really.
"The nearest stop to us is Bowker Vale and we take him up there a lot. From there we go on the tram to wherever he wants to go really. He just loves it."
Metrolink is the largest light rail network in the country, with more than 100km of track and 147 vehicles.
Since opening in 1992, it's grown into a network of 99 stops and Tuesday marked the 10th anniversary of the opening of the East Didsbury line on May 23, 2013.
Rebekah said Isaac knows the names of most of the stops and loves to ride on board.
"I don't know how he knows them all but he does," she said. "He never stops talking and is full of chat and full of beans.
"He loves the colour yellow and calls them 'yellow trams'. He also watches them everyday on YouTube.
"It was just out of curiosity really that I emailed customer services because I wanted some souvenirs. I want to say a big thanks to everyone at Metrolink. You have made a little boy very happy.
"I wasn't expecting anything for free and would have happily bought the items but then they sent the parcel. Isaac was over the moon with it. It made his day.
"We are just hugely appreciative and grateful. They sent a little map for him and now he knows where all the actual stops are."
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