Well-wishers aim to raise £6,000 for wheelchair

Family and friends are preparing to welcome home a Newark man left paralysed from the chest down after an operation.

DJ and teacher Mr Ian Lamb, of Churchill Drive, hopes to be home in time for his 51st birthday next month.

He is determined to live life to the full.

“Just because I have been told I won’t walk again doesn’t mean I can’t,” he said.

“I can already do things that they said I can’t. Nothing is going to stop me.”

His friends have organised a fundraising event at the Cedric Ford Pavilion, Newark Showground, for Friday, October 26.

They hope to sell 440 tickets and raise £6,000 for a special wheelchair that will help Mr Lamb get about independently.

Mr Lamb, who has previously been at the forefront of fundraising efforts for other people, plans to make a short film thanking those attending.

He was admitted for an MRI scan at Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, in March, which showed four discs in his neck had fused.

An operation to remove the discs and replace them with a metal support was performed the next day, but when he came round he was paralysed from the neck down.

Mr Lamb underwent a second operation to remove a blood clot from his spine, restoring some movement to his upper body and biceps. He has limited use of his hands but has been told he will not walk again.

He said other patients in a similar situation had normally been in a car accident or suffered a sports injury.

He said: “There is nothing to compare with what has happened to me. I have been told it was a chance in a million.”

Mr Lamb has spent four months at Northern General Hospital, Sheffield.

He was confined to bed for the first six weeks in a clinical ward and then moved to the spinal rehabilitation unit for intensive physiotherapy.

He is preparing to return home once adaptations, costing £24,000 and paid for by Newark and Sherwood District Council, have been made to his house.

Mr Lamb worked as a DJ for 20 years and in schools in Newark for five years. He is determined to return to work at his last school, Barnby Road Academy, even if it has to be on a part-time basis.

He is a keen football fan, and a former referee, and is looking forward to returning to the touchline.

Children from Barnby Road Academy and the head, Mr Kevin Eveleigh, are among those who have sent him more than 500 get well cards.

Mr Lamb said he had been overwhelmed by good wishes and support from friends and family.

His wife, Mrs Anita Lamb, makes the journey daily and he has regular visits from his sons, Craig, Richard and Jamie, and the rest of his family.

Mr Lamb said it had been hard to come to terms with what had happened but a photograph of his grandchildren Rhys, 3, and nine-month-old Chloe made him realise what was important.

“I have always been a fit and active person and I am determined to get on with it,” he said.

Noel Larkin of Celebrations Roadshow will be the DJ at the fundraising event.

Tickets costs £5 each. Buses to and from the venue will be £5 return. Tickets are available from Dan Dolby on 07890 210483, Steve Pay on 07743 663619 and Adrian Brierley 01636 680835. Donations can also be made.