A Suffolk man who suffered a brain injury after falling at speed from his mountain bike is to talk about his experiences at a conference next month.

Andrew Pearson was on his way home after marshalling in a race in Ipswich in July, 2008, when he had the crash.

Mr Pearson, who was a director at BT, received invaluable support from Headway Suffolk on his road to a full recovery and won a national Headway UK ‘Achivever of the Year’ award for his achievements in December, 2012.

He said: “The support given to my family from Headway Suffolk was invaluable, as well as the help they gave to me.”

Mr Pearson later became a trustee of the charity.

Along with his friend Paul Martin, he raised £3,905 for Headway Suffolk towards the purchase of its Ipswich hub at Epsilon House by cycling 800 miles in five-and-a-half-days from Bilbao in Spain to Adastral Park in Ipswich in 2011.

He is now manager of Evans Cycles in Ipswich.

He will talk about his experiences at Headway Suffolk’s fourth Neuro Conference on Wednesday, October 17 at Kesgrave Conference Centre, Twelve Acre Approach, Kesgrave.

Conference delegates will also hear from other five keynote speakers: world-renowned health expert Professor Robert Winston; Dr Hilda Hayo, Chief Admiral Nurse and CEO of Dementia UK; Dr Sajid Alam, a consultant in stroke medicine at Ipswich Hospital; and Dr Jane Hawking, an author, teacher and former carer; and Dr Charlotte Brierley, a consultant neurologist at Addenbrooke’s and West Suffolk Hospitals.

Headway Suffolk has attracted huge interest in its first three conferences, with author Dr Jane Hawking talking about her life as a family carer in 2017; famed scientist Prof Stephen Hawking making a rare public appearance to discuss his life with motor neurone disease in 2016; and local brain injury survivor Andrew Renton taking his first public steps in 21 years in 2015.

Speakers this year will address brain injury, stroke, neurology, carers and dementia.

Tickets, which are priced at £40 (plus booking fee), are now selling fast. They can be purchased from Eventbrite.

Specially-discounted tickets for persons registered as disabled, priced at just £10, are available directly from Headway Suffolk by contacting them on 01474 712225 or email: helenfairweather@headwaysuffolk.org.uk.