Fundraiser launched to help community hero after life-changing accident raises £15k

Clair Brady from East Bergholt was riding on her motorbike back from a day out in Harwich earlier this week when she had an accident.

It was the first time that Miss Brady, 40, a therapy assistant at Ipswich Hospital, had been out on the bike on her own after passing her test earlier this year after fulfilling a lifelong goal.

She was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital with serious injuries, including broken ribs, a broken shoulder and three broken vertebrae and underwent her first surgery earlier this week.

Clair Brady suffered serious injuries in the accident (Image: Archant)

She was unable to feel anything below the chest and it is believed she will never walk again.

Miss Brady had spent the past year leading the East Bergholt Covid Support Group which had worked to help people in the village during the early stages of the pandemic.

The local community has been left shocked by Miss Brady's injuries and has immediately rallied round to help her and her partner Luke Garwood.

Initially Mr Garwood had hoped to raise £1,000 to adapt the couple's home for a wheelchair and to help her recovery.

So far the crowdfunding appeal has raised over £16,000 with a single donor providing £10,000 for the appeal.

"I couldn't believe it," said Mr Garwood.

"I thought we would probably need a little bit of money for adaptations and things so I put £1,000 initially and within two and a half hours it had got to that so I increased that to £3,000."

Mr Garwood said he would love to know who it was who had donated the £10,000.

"It's just incredible how many people care," he said.

"She's always been helpful and caring and considerate of others. She always does what she can to help everyone else.

"It is nice to know she has this massive great friend base and it is really good to know they are supporting her."

Mr Garwood said that Miss Brady remained positive about her situation.

"I spoke to her this morning on the phone and she was talking about what job she wanted to do," said Mr Garwood.

"She's thinking about writing a book on dog training.

"She is quite positive about things at the moment and she's bossing all the nurses around.

"She's now on the other end of what she has done to help people."

It's not clear when Miss Brady will come out of Addenbrooke's.

Mr Garwood paid tribute to all those who had donated so far.

"We are so very grateful it is going to make such a great difference," said Mr Garwood.

"It's going to make a huge difference to when she can come home.

"We can either adapt where we are or it makes it easier for us to find somewhere to move into where she can move around.

"It's taken a lot of pressure off both of us."