Mark Foster makes another TV splash

Olympic swimmer, Mark Foster, highlighted the remarkable tales of two men helped by the Papworth Trust in a special television film this week.

Mark, who recently starred in Strictly Come Dancing, featured Bruce Wall and Gary Fairburn in a film for BBC Look east called “Foster’s Fighters.”

Mark, who has appeared in five Olympic games, visited Gary Fairburn of Cambridgeshire Industrial Training Ltd, at Soham in Cambridgeshire. Gary gained valuable support and advice from the employment service at Papworth Trust before setting up his own business a year ago. Mark then interviewed Bruce Wall, from Huntingdon who went through the Trust’s Vocational Rehabilitation programme after a major motorbike accident 15 years ago.

The film showed how both Gary and Bruce have transformed their lives thanks to the support of Papworth Trust.

Bruce Wall was the director of a successful flooring distribution company in Cambridge with a turnover of over £2m. The motorbike accident changed his life forever. Bruce's eighteen year old son, James, was killed in the accident and Bruce was left tetraplegic. He also needed multiple operations including the amputation of a leg.

“The accident was obviously devastating – in many ways I felt my life had ended,” says Bruce. “My own home felt like a prison. It got so bad that after 3 months I decided to take an overdose rather than be a burden on my family.”

“I had always assumed that disabled people had a reduced quality of life but the Papworth Trust showed me I could be independent and make my own choices about how I lived. For the first time since my accident I was able to see a future for myself.”

“I was able to learn to drive again which I hadn't thought was a possibility,” he explains. “I was also a keen windsurfer before my accident and I learnt to sail an adapted catamaran.”
“I am now able to live on my own and it was great to have the opportunity to show Mark how far I’d come since my accident 15 years ago,” said Bruce.

Gary Fairburn was a trainer in the army for 17 years and left to further pursue his training career. He was off work for six months through suffering major depression anxiety and Sleep Apnoea. He was referred to Papworth Trust by staff at JobCentre Plus. The Trust’s inwork adviser helped Gary regain his confidence and he got a job with a local business in Burwell as a foreman.

This led him to take the plunge and set up his own business. He started Careful Couriers and was doing well when his van was stolen and from this he set up Cambridgeshire Industrial Training in Soham.

“It’s been a year since Cambridgeshire Industrial Training has been in operation and I’ve also employed other disabled people in the business which specialises in fork lift truck driving and manual handling courses,” says Gary. “It’s been great meeting Mark and talking about what motivated me to start my own business. Papworth Trust certainly paid a big part in this and I don’t think I would have done it without their encouragement.”

Mark Foster says: "Bruce and Gary are truly inspirational characters and it was great to meet them both today. I'm hoping their stories will show others that you should never give up, no matter how bad things can get."

To find out more about Papworth Trust and the services it offers please call the helpdesk on: 0800 952 5000 or visit www.papworth.org.uk

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Notes to editors:

About Papworth Trust:
Each year Papworth Trust helps over 13,000 disabled people in the East of England and the UK through a wide range of services covering employment, vocational rehabilitation, housing and community support.
In using the term “disabled” we mean anyone who has a long-term health issue, learning difficulty, physical disability, sensory impairment, mental health issue or a combination of these or other impairments. We also mean anyone of any age.
The Trust also works with the Government, employers, service providers and commissioners to promote disability equality and good practice.

Digital images are available on request (300 dpi minimum):

For further information and media opportunities, please contact:
Gail Cunningham, Communications Manager, Papworth Trust
T: 01480 357259 (direct)
F: 01480 357201
E: gail.cunningham@papworth.org.uk
 

Papworth Trust T: 01480 357200
Bernard Sunley Centre F: 01480 357201
Papworth Everard E: info@papworth.org.uk
Cambridge www.papworth.org.uk
CB23 3RG Helpdesk: 0800 952 5000
Charity no. 211234

Please note that Papworth Trust is an independent disability charity and is unconnected with the Papworth Hospital NHS Trust.