NEIL Howson lived through a nightmare when he was attacked by two men who threatened him with a knife and set him on fire.

Recalling the horrific attack, the dad-of-three from Cummersdale, near Carlisle, said it felt like he was alight before the flames hit him.

His life was changed forever. His injuries were so severe he lost the use of his legs and had to learn to walk again with the aid of crutches.

But he got his life back on track and took up wheelchair basketball about three-and-a-half years ago. He discovered it was a sport he loved and was good at.

Now, he’s hoping to raise about £5,000 for a new elite wheelchair - similar to the ones used by his competitors.

A support worker for United Response, Neil , 48, was caring for a young man in December 2009.

As the pair got back to the clients’ Carlisle flat they were met by two balaclava-clad men in the stairwell.

Without thinking, Neil put himself between the attackers and his client John, whose named has been changed to protect his identity.

He shouted to John to run to the flat in the hope that he would lock the door and call the police.

“One came at me with a knife. I tussled with him for what seemed like forever but I thought if I could keep him here the police would be on their way.

“His mate was pouring petrol around the stairwell and started chucking it at my legs. They started throwing matches at me and one lit.

“I just saw a cloud of flames coming towards me. I was already on fire before the flames hit me.”

Neil remembers his attackers laughing as the flames engulfed the a pile of rubbish and the stairwell he was standing in before they ran off.

He managed to crawl towards the fire exit and made it outside where he tried to roll around the gravel to put out the flames.

“I just knew I had to get out of there. I thought I hope John is safe and I needed to get out,” Neil continued.

“I remember shouting and screaming for help.”

The next thing he remembers is a person standing over him in the darkness. He panicked, thinking his attackers were back but realised it was someone pouring water over him.

He blacked out and was rushed to hospital in Carlisle before being transferred to the burns unit at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

A consultant warned they may have to amputate both of his legs due to the severity of his injuries.

While they managed to save his legs, he has largely lost the use of them. His toes were amputated, his ankles fused and he underwent countless operations and skin grafts before having to learn to walk again.

Neil, who circulation has also been affected, now walks with the aid of his crutches and uses his wheelchair for long distances.

“The guys at the RVI deal with that kind of thing all the time but it’s the effect that it has had on my family - it has changed life completely - and the effect that it has had on my children. I’m not with my wife anymore but it affected her greatly at the time.”

A couple of weeks earlier two men had visited the flat asking for money, believed to have been a drug debt owed by John's mother.

Those responsible were never caught or convicted.

Following a long recovery Neil was able to return to work and still loves the job he does.

A former plumbing and heating engineer, he had to find a new line of work due to an underlying nerve condition. That’s when he became a social worker.

“I loved the job too much not to go back,” he said. “I really like to try to help people and make a difference.”

Donate to Neil's fund.