A CHEPSTOW man who suffered a brain injury at the age of 18 is hoping to raise more than £2,000 for his rehabilitation centre home.

Tom Bendall, who has lived in the Chepstow area for five years, suffered a brain injury after being hit by a car in 1998 and has been in and out of residential homes ever since.

He has settled at the Castleford Lodge though, and is now hoping to kit it out with new rehabilitation equipment for himself and others by completing a charity jump from a giant swing at the National Diving and Leisure Centre, at Tidenham in Chepstow, on October 15.

Staff member Rowan Morgan-Ruffley said any money raised by Mr Bendall, now 36, would be matched by the Tutshill care home.

Mr Morgan-Ruffley said: “Tom’s really positive and is always happy despite his circumstances and is always pushing to progress further.

“We [the staff] wanted to give him an adrenaline rush and the swing seemed a great idea.

“All the money raised will go towards rehabilitation equipment that all the residents can then use.”

Castleford Lodge is a specialist brain injury rehabilitation centre.

Most of the people who live at the home are supported by staff who make sure they maintain their progress and help them set long-term goals.

Mr Bendall’s personal trainer, Dan Hines, of Chepstow, has worked with him for the past few years, and believes that the rehabilitation work from the home and Mr Bendall’s own determination has enabled him to do the jump.

“Tom is absolutely fantastic, he really is an inspiration for people with disabilities,” he said. “The doctors said he would never be able to walk unaided, but he can do that now and this jump will prove how far he has come.”

To donate, visit his JustGiving page – justgiving.com/crowd funding/TOMS-DREAM.