A BASINGSTOKE man who signed up for a 10-mile charity run before suffering a tragic accident on holiday is determined to finish it in a wheelchair after making an unexpected recovery.

Tom Harris, 23, from Dummer, was travelling on holiday in Slovenia with his friends in August when he fell off a ledge and landed on his head.

He was left with a bleed on the brain and was in a coma for 22 days, as his parents, Leroy and Louise, rushed out to join him.

They feared they would lose their son after his brain began to swell. Tom had to undergo an operation to relieve the pressure that was building around his brain.

He came out of his coma and after nearly a month he was able to return to the UK for treatment at Basingstoke Hospital.

He has since regained his entire memory and being able to get back on his feet after physiotherapy.

He amazed everybody by managing to remember the password to his smartphone, after only being able to communicate through blinking his eyes.

Tom said: “Myself and some friends went on holiday to Slovenia in August. I have no memory from my accident at all but from what I have been told, I slipped on a ledge and fell down a steep slope, landing on my head.

“Over time I built up my mental and physical strength but my recovery was a great surprise to everyone. The only thing I don’t remember is the accident, I have managed to keep the rest of my memory completely.”

Back in April, Tom signed up to the Simplyhealth Great South Run with his dad to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust in memory of childhood friend Sam Hooker, who died last year.

He will now be completing the race on October 22 in his late friend’s wheelchair, along with his friends and family, dubbed Team Tom.

Leroy, 55, said: “His strength is definitely building, we managed to walk 4km the other day but him taking part in Sam’s wheelchair is more achievable and also very poignant.”

They will be running for the Teenage Cancer Trust and the brain injury charity Headway.

Tom said: “When I was in hospital back in Basingstoke, I decided I wanted to still take on the event, but I knew I probably wouldn’t be strong enough to walk it.

“We were going to hire a wheelchair so I could be pushed, but then Sam’s mum offered me his old one to use, which will be a very special moment.”

To support Tom’s fundraising, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/tom-harris94 and to support Team Tom, visit justgiving.com/companyteams/propellorhats