Nearly 300 bikers escort teen with Asperger's to prom to show bullies they 'can't hurt her anymore'

A U.K. teen and her family were "blown away" last week when almost 300 bikers showed up to escort the student to her prom after learning of the constant bullying she faced. According to Worcester News, Felicity Warburton—a 15-year-old with dyslexia and Asperger's Syndrome—was gifted an unforgettable experience by the WAC Motorcycle Club after her mom put out an appeal on Facebook last month. While the family only expected a handful of bikers, hundreds of riders came from across the county and even as far as London to support the teen.

"We were blown away already by the [number] of people in the car park when we got there," said Felicity's dad, Rich Morrish. "We were only expecting about 10 or so people, and there were already about 50 bikes, and then they just kept on coming batch by batch to the point that they were all lined up on the grass verge, it was mind-blowing. To see we had over 200 riders was nuts - bikers get a bad rep but they were absolutely phenomenal, they were very respectful to her. The confidence it brought out in Felicity as well was amazing. Over the last year, she's had constant bullying going on, the school has done what they can, but they can't do everything."

"But to have this bubbly personality just withdraw into herself and not be that person anymore is tragic to see," he continued. "Most people will have experienced some form of bullying in their lives, and I'm a big advocate for anti-bullying, I hate it. So, what can we do? Well, we can make a statement, and that's exactly what we did on Tuesday night, and Felicity was at the helm." Morrish praised Felicity's mum, Katie Warburton, for organizing the escort.

"Felicity has been looking forward to her prom as she feels that this will be the point where she can show them (the bullies) that they can't hurt her anymore," Warburton wrote on Facebook last month, reports PEOPLE. "They have bullied her so much she has even contemplated suicide in the past year, so I really want her prom to be everything she wants and needs it to be." The concerned mom explained that Felicity — who is a world Adaptive Judo silver medallist for her age and weight — loves bikes and all things alternative, which in turn led to her being picked on and "called weird."

Dawn Thomas, a representative of the WAC Motorcycle Club, said: "We were initially contacted by Felicity's mum Katie to see if we would provide a few of us on bikes to escort her to her prom. It changed the date a couple of times because of Covid but when she had a firm date, I posted it on our Facebook page and stood back and marveled at the response. Katie and I were bowled over with it all. There were a few other groups involved and we ended up with over 200 bikers escorting her (Felicity) on the ride of her life."

So many riders showed up to support Felicity that it took them half an hour to get out of the car park of the Worcester Warriors' stadium where the event was held. "Proud of her doesn't even touch it, she's an amazing girl and she hasn't deserved any of this, so to see her light up like a Christmas tree was absolutely fantastic," Morrish said of his daughter. "When she sat on that trike and I looked at her, it was like time stood still and I just thought, 'we've got our daughter back.' She was in there all that time, and it just took something big and something special to show how loved she is."

"When you've got someone crunching you down time and time again, you don't see anything good in yourself," he added. "So, to see that smile break out on her face was very overwhelming. I'm incredibly, incredibly proud of that girl."