A mum was left in tears after her son managed to ride a Legoland cart for the very first time.

Sam Bailey, aged just eight, wanted to hop into the Lego City car ever since he first stepped foot in the Trafford Centre, in Manchester.

He first visited as a toddler but his autism, and the fact the venue is usually packed out, posed a difficult scenario for staff.

Now, a new autism-friendly session at the Trafford Legoland Discovery Centre has made his wish come true.

His mum Tina has proudly shared the moment with our colleagues at Manchester Evening News .

She said: "We’ve been visiting Legoland since Sam was 10 months old. As soon as the Lego City car ride opened, he wanted to go on it.

"Unfortunately, he’d been unable to do so, as I knew he didn’t have the hand-eye co-ordination to drive the car around the track.

"It’s usually super busy when we get to visit, so it's just not an option.

"That’s not the case, during the autism friendly sessions though. This amazing staff member got Sam onto the car, and walked around alongside him. She encouraged him to press the pedal and turn the wheel the entire time.

"It was so emotional, I cried. The lady helping Syd on the video actually remembered Sam's name from a previous visit, how amazing is that."

The family were among the first to try out the autism friendly sessions, which launched in March and run from 2pm to 6pm every Thursday, meaning even school age children can get there for a couple of hours if they don't live too far away.

Extra staff are placed around the attraction, music is turned off and sounds effects are limited.

All the usual elements of the centre - such as the bricks, soft play area, stop motion animation tables and the rides - are open as usual, but the place is quieter and lighter.

For the parts of the attraction which require certain lighting and effects to operate, such as the 4D Cinema and the Kingdom Quest ride, signs are in place and staff are on hand to fully explain what will happen so that families can decide whether to join in.

There's a designated quiet space available and extra provisions such as ear defenders can also be provided. And if your child would like extra reassurance before visiting, you can download the attraction's social story here , which explains more about the place and includes photos of each section.

Tina, who also has a six-year-old daughter Sydney and writes her own Mothergeek blog , added: "We were amazed at how much thought had been put into the event.

"Sam loves Legoland Discovery but he hates queuing. Thankfully, there was nothing to worry about on that front. We went straight into the venue at 4pm and found no queue. Once we entered, I was happy to see the first photo point wasn’t open – this usually causes Sam issues as he hates the brief sit down and doesn’t understand why it’s necessary.

"When we got upstairs, we had a one minute wait until we entered Professor Brick’s Workshop.

"He spoke much quieter than usual, but still got the kids involved. When we moved through to the first ride, we found the lights had been turned up and the sound turned off. This made the game less exciting, as you have to shoot the baddies shown on screen, but it was definitely easier for Sam to handle. Once we got into the main part of the venue, Sam set to work exploring.

"The small Duplo Soft Play area has always been a favourite of his. I suspect it’s because of the huge blocks. We went on the Merlin’s Apprentice ride a good half a dozen times as Sam loves it."