A WIRRAL man has spoken about the moment he nearly lost his life after his mountain bike collided with a car last month.

Christopher Locke, who is a dedicated charity worker, was cycling down Mount Road on June 9 when he was thrown from his bike.

Suffering from severe head wounds and in a critical condition, Chris used the first aid training he had received five years previous to save his own life.

Chris said: “I was thrown over the car and I landed face down on the road.

“There was a lot of panicking and screaming and even though I could not feel any part of my body and was bleeding heavily, I knew I needed two calm people to support me.

“A man and woman came forward to offer their assistance, although they tried to talk to me, I knew I had to start regulating my breathing so my blood flow and heartbeat would slow down.

“They rang the ambulance and the other stayed close to me, we made a deal that I would blink to reassure them I was still alive.”

When emergency services arrived, Chris was airlifted to hospital where he was transferred to the severe trauma unit at Aintree University Hospital.

The accident left him paralysed from the neck down for three days and meant he had to spend Father’s Day in hospital, with his daughters by his side.

Since the crash, Chris has continued to defy expectations, having originally been told he would need to remain in hospital for 12 weeks, by working hard with the physios he was discharged in five.

“I worked really hard learning to feed and shower myself and got out after five weeks instead of 12 and have now been home for three weeks.

“My arms have wasted away quite a bit but my left arm and hand are functional now, my right arm and hand and whole right side where I landed are still bad and I have trouble walking and very limited use of my right side.” Chris added.

“I was determined not to let the crash stop my charity work, and since I have been released I have kept my commitments to charity events and organised the music and performed as a band at the Merebrook Think Pink night for Cancer Research and Do it for Dawn concert and many others.

“I have amazed the physios with my progress, but I am just happy to be getting stronger every day.”

This year, Chris is helping to organise the annual ‘Glastonferry Music Festival’ which will be held in Eastham across August bank holiday weekend.

All money raised from the festival will go to Wirral’s Claire House Children’s Hospice which is based in Bebington.

Although the festival was originally first launched four years ago, Chris was brought in during 2014 to help organise the music. Previously the festival has raised money for The Lyndale School.

The event which is sponsored by Marston’s breweries includes outside stages, bars, bouncy castles and face painting.

Entry is free to the festival and is held at Eastham Ferry.