MORE than £45,000 has been raised to help a mountain-biking enthusiast who suffered life-changing injuries during an accident.

Jake Halling, aged 21, suffered the injuries while downhill mountain-biking earlier this year, and is being treated at Gobowen Orthopaedic Hospital.

A malfunction with Jake’s bike saw his suspension forks snap off as he landed a large and fast downhill jump.

The impact of the landing resulted in injuries to Jake’s spinal cord, leaving him without the use or feeling of his body from his chest down.

Jake, who is currently a patient on Gladstone Ward within the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH), also suffered from multiple face injuries and a broken neck.

As the 21-year-old comes to terms with his injuries, his family has set up a fundraising appeal to help with Jake’s future needs, including making their home accessible for him.

With £46,000 already raised through the fundraiser, Jake has been left overwhelmed by the support from family, friends and the Bromyard Cricket Club and community.

He said: “We can’t begin to thank everyone enough for the kindness they’ve shown me and my family during this time.

“We’ve even had complete strangers get in touch, donate or offer any help they can, it’s been absolutely phenomenal.

“I’ve always been someone who’s been happy to quietly go about my life under the radar but I realise that my family and I can’t do this by ourselves.”

Jake’s family wants to build an annexe adjoining their home to make it more accessible, and as well as donations of money, businesses and individuals have offered their time and skills to plan and build whatever it takes to support Jake’s needs.

A self-employed builder, Jake has always lived an extremely active lifestyle, as well as biking, he also enjoys fishing and kayaking in his free time.

“My injuries have been a lot to come to terms with, I’m trying to remain positive but some days are hard. I’m so used to being busy and active, so it’s a big adjustment,” he said.

“It’s frustrating because I’ve had bigger crashes than this before, in the past I’ve fallen, I’ve cleared bigger jumps, I’ve even been wrapped around trees, I’ve had some close shaves, so for me it’s dealing with the fact that it was down to the bike.

“It really goes to show that you never know what’s around the corner.

“My focus now is to keep as positive as I can and continue to stay strong and make progress.

“The team on MCSI have been absolutely incredible, I know I’m in the very best hands right now.”

Jake has been at RJAH for more than nine weeks now – and is making solid progress, having started daily Physiotherapy sessions, which have seen him start to sit up.

Rebecca Ward, MCSI ward manager, has praised Jake for his resilience and determined attitude.

She said: “Jake is a truly amazing young man, he’s very headstrong and extremely driven. We’re all incredibly proud of the progress he’s made so far.

“I have seen many patients like Jake that go on and live life to the extreme and the fullest, and with Jake’s passion and determination, I know he will achieve the very best.”

If you would like to donate to Jake’s fundraising appeal, you can do so via the JustGiving link at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/gemma-halling-smith?fbclid=IwAR3pVz917E1MGODh3I3azCe8nAQeROevnIRWw1JpRxfyA4kbBuHgru5yl0c