A CARLISLE father has thanked fundraiser Geoff Brown for paying for a first family getaway after he became paralysed from the chest down.

Matty Thicke, a former soldier who served in Afghanistan, has been confined to a wheelchair since falling from a branch and landing on his head.

Matty is husband to Emma and father to 8-year-old Jack and 5-year-old Daniel. Last year, Geoff used funds from his Trust to pay for the Thickes to finally go on holiday, spending time at Straker Lodges in Kielder.

When asked how he found out about Geoff’s plans, Matty said: “To be honest I was told early doors when I got home from the incident. The biggest thing was to try and get some sort of normality for the boys, knowing that we were now in a life changing situation.

“It shows that good times are possible, and you can find some form of normal. Geoff is such an excellent bloke and things like that restores your faith in humanity.”

Discussing his sons’ reactions to the news, Matty continued: “They thought it was brilliant. It can be annoying when you try and look for places to go and when you search for places with accessibility you miss out on the more luxurious of options. Staying at the lodge was like normal for us.

“It was open planned, making it easy for me to get around. The boys are the outdoorsy kind and they loved it. I had my off-road wheelchair and went out on the tracks with the boys on the bikes, it was really nice.”

Finishing, Matty said: “It has been a terrible time, knowing that I can’t do things that I’d like to do and it’s very imprisoning.

"I have more enjoyment now in making sure the boys are happy and letting them know that what has happened isn’t going to affect the future. It’s hard, you doubt yourself as a man, a dad and a husband but having a routine is important.

“Having good support is vital and with people like Geoff around who continues to support the family, even by being on the other side of the phone, is nice to have.”