IT WAS a fairly typical afternoon in the garden for Badg Champion. The hedge at his Sturminster Marshall home needed trimming, so he scaled his stepladder and got stuck in.

As he turned to attack a different section of hedge, he went to put his foot back on the steps and found only fresh air.

In that split second, the lives of Badg and his family changed forever.

Paralysis doesn't come with any warning signs or symptoms, and Badg's seemingly innocuous fall left him with a broken neck.

"At that point, you don't think this is a life-changing situation'," said Badg's wife, Jane.

But Badg eventually spent seven months in the spinal unit of Salisbury District Hospital and was left partially paralysed and confined to a wheelchair by the accident.

Such a shock can prove devastating, but with son Mark and daughter Ellen both still yet to hit 10, Badg and Jane remained admirably positive.

"When Badg was first in hospital, you couldn't imagine life being normal again," said Jane.

"It took a while to sink in, but we came to the decision to keep life as normal as possible for the children.

"You have to find the positives."

With the village rallying around them, Badg and Jane managed to restore a level of equilibrium, selflessly carrying on with things like family camping trips.

Unhampered by his wheelchair and with limited use of his hands, Badg established a successful web design company from home, helping set up websites for, among other things, spinal charities.

Jane retrained as a chiropodist to free up more of her time to help her husband.

And with their children now grown up, Badg and Jane have set about dedicating time to helping victims of spinal injury.

Jane has been embarking on intrepid adventures to raise money for charity Spinal Research, while Badg has been re-visiting the spinal unit at Salisbury to offer his support to patients.

"Part of my mission is to talk to them about life after their break and offer them something positive," said Badg.

He admits it is hard seeing recent victims, though, citing one 18-year-old who was left paralysed after diving into shallow seas at Studland.

But Jane said: "With Badg they can see there is some hope - that you can get back to some sort of normality."

For her part, Jane has trekked along part of the Great Wall of China and last year cycled 364 miles from London to Paris to raise money for Spinal Research.

Badg even took on the role of Jane's personal trainer for the ride, plotting routes and joining her on her training stints on a specially adapted bike.

"I really felt I wanted to do something and Badg told me to go for it," said Jane.

Spinal Research's ultimate aim is to reverse the effects of paralysis and they are making groundbreaking progress in the field.

"It is such a great thing to give a spark of hope to people," said Jane.

  • Echo reporter James Morton is running the London Marathon on April 13 to raise money for Spinal Research.

To make a donation, visit his sponsorship website at justgiving.com/marathonmorty

Click here to read his blog

Echo readers who make a donation will be entered into a draw to win a meal for two at The Print Room on Richmond Hill, a family pass for the Oceanarium or a free takeaway curry from Sajniz in Boscombe.

  • Around 40,000 people in the UK have suffered paralysis as a result of injury to their spinal cord.
  • Each year, around 1,000 more people suffer devastating spinal injuries.
  • Tests have shown there could be ways to generate re-growth of the spinal column.
  • Regenerating just 4cm of spinal cord could potentially help a paralysis victim breathe unaided or regain use of their hands.
  • For more information visit spinal-research.org