THEY told him he would never walk again.

But, step by step in the late September sunshine, Matthew Purchase, who survived being shot in the head in 2007, walked 500 metres to prove doctors wrong.

Matthew, 23, was cheered on every step of the way by family and friends as he slowly walked along the stretch of country lane near his Wimborne home.

Father Ian was alongside him all the way as he defied the odds and took a huge step on his long road to recovery.

Afterwards, Matthew said: “It shows all the hard work has paid off. I would like to thank all my friends and family and my rehab staff who have helped me.”

Matthew said it was a “great feeling” to accomplish the feat and added: “I never gave up hope and I had family and friends around me who never gave up on me and believed in me, which spurred me on.”

Matthew was shot in the head in a hunting accident in New Zealand in December 2007. He was operated on by a leading brain surgeon at a hospital in Hamilton and was flown home in February 2008. Since then, he has been making slow but steady progress and attends a brain rehabilitation unit each week.

Dad Ian said: “I’m very proud. It’s a hell of an achievement for Matt to do that after he was told he would never walk again. It was nothing short of a miracle to see him do it.”

Matthew was sponsored for the walk. The cash will go to the Neurosurgery Advancement Fund, linked to Matt’s surgeon, and to upgrade facilities for family and friends visiting loved ones at Waikato Hospital in New Zealand.

His fundraising total is now heading towards £4,000.