A paraglider who survived a horror fall that broke his neck has raised nearly £5,000 for the air ambulance charity that saved his life.
Chris Williams, an experienced paraglider from Fairford, broke his neck when he plunged 72 feet at 16 miles an hour while paragliding over the Alton Barnes White Horse, near Pewsey, on Valentine’s Day.
Mr Williams also suffered a collapsed left lung and a fractured pelvis on impact, but miraculously survived the ordeal.
His life was saved by a Wiltshire Air Ambulance crew, who were on the scene within ten minutes of a bystander’s 999 call.
They flew the 58-year-old to the major trauma centre at Bristol’s Southmead Hospital where he remained for a week before continuing his recovery at home.
Mr Williams has since began walking a mile a day to “pay for his ticket” by raising the £3,000 that each helicopter rescue costs the charity.
He said: “I’ve known for a long time the air ambulance rely totally on donations, so when it happened to me it was an easy decision to do something and put my money where my mouth is.
“One mile might not sound far, but with a slowly healing pelvis it is a real challenge.
“I walk slowly with a crutch to help take some of my weight. Pelvic injuries need exercise to help them heal so I will be helping my pelvis as well as the charity.”
Mr Williams raised his target of £3,000 within eight days and has set his sights on funding somebody else’s rescue by hitting the £6,000 mark.
His JustGiving page, which can be found here, has raised £4,993 at the time of writing with almost 150 people donating.
Mr Williams added: “To get that first £3000 was staggering and I couldn’t believe it when I saw the money coming in.
“It means a lot… there is even a guy in Chicago walking a mile a day to keep me company and that sort of thing is really heart-warming, it makes you see the good in people.
“It would be very easy to see this as a negative experience but there has been so much positivity coming from it.
“I’m not dead or in a wheelchair but also I’ve had a huge response from people in the local community, who are walking with me, and that’s been delightful.”
Wiltshire Air Ambulance requires £11,000 a day to provide its vital service but receives no government funding and is entirely reliant on public donations.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here