A FRIEND of a well-known man who suffered life-changing injuries while on holiday in New Zealand has raised more than £4,500 to help give him the independence he desperately needs.

Chris Hamilton was two days into his holiday last November when he fell off an e-scooter he was riding and was knocked unconscious.

The 43-year-old, who worked as a chef at The Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge, was then involved in a collision with a car leaving him paralysed from the waist down.

After intensive treatment in New Zealand, Chris was transferred back to the UK for further treatment before moving to a specially-adapted home in Scarborough.

His friend Philip Thurlow had his head shaved and legs waxed at the weekend to help buy a special electric wheelchair add-on.

Philip said: “Emotionally the head was the most traumatic, the legs didn’t hurt as much as I was led to believe. We had a good turn out to watch and have raised around the £4,500 mark.”

He added: “We are really grateful to Angela Hutchinson from the Secret Sanctuary in Whitby for her great work on the leg waxing and hair shaving.

“She even taught people how to apply and pull the wax strips off my legs. We asked people to donate more money to then pull the strips off my legs.”

Philip said he had first met Chris seven years ago and had become good friends.

He said: “Chris has been making progress with his rehabilitation and upper body strength and now is the time for him to start getting his life back on track.

“With the add-on, this will give him the independence he is desperately needing. The system attaches onto his existing wheelchair and transforms it into an electric trike, then he will be able to get around without having to depend on others to take him places.

“All of the people who have donated have really blown Chris and myself away. They have been so generous.

“I am keeping the Justgiving page going a bit longer as people have asked for me to as they are waiting for their monthly wages to be paid into their bank before they are able to donate.

“The public have really found Chris’s story so upsetting and felt they can actually make a difference to his future. It’s been a very emotional time for all of us involved, we are really looking forward to seeing Chris in his new electric wheels.”

To donate, go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/hair-loss4mobility-aid