THE FAMILY of a disabled Dursley man have thanked the community for ‘giving him his life back’ after they rallied to raise money for a new wheelchair.

Martin Morrison suffers from a rare chromosome disorder called Angelman Syndrome which affects his nervous system and caused seizures that put him in intensive care.

Due to the 30-year-old’s condition, he needed a wheelchair that provided the necessary support for him to go to classes and other activities so that he wouldn’t be stuck indoors – but his family said that he’d be left waiting a long time to get the equipment he needed from the NHS.

So they started a fundraising campaign in the hope of raising the £4,000 needed to buy Martin the right wheelchair – and the community met the challenge.

Now, with the independence afforded by his new wheelchair, Martin is ‘a different man’, say his family – who run the Tuck Shop in Silver Street, Dursley.

Martin lives with his father David, mum Lesley, younger sister Paige and brother-in-law Ryan Laszlo, while his other sister, Sian Tyers, lives nearby, and they all play their part in providing around the clock care for him.

“He’s doing amazingly,” said Paige. “He is now back at day centre and respite – he is a different man and loves being out and about.

“Him immune system is still low but we’re working on that.

“He even got the chance to see the horses during Dursley festival which he absolutely loved.”

“He is loving all the attention he is getting now – he thinks he is famous,” Paige joked.

“There were so many people that donated and we owe them all, everyone who donated on the Gofundme page, the Produce for Pets shop that ran a collection and everyone that donated at the Tuck Shop.

“We also had some big anonymous donations as well.

“We just want to say thank you so much. We were in a dark place but because of the help we received we have now come through that – it has given Martin his life back.”

Dursley Lions had pledged £1,000 to the family, however they are now looking for other causes in the area after the money for the wheelchair was already raised by the community.