CRASH VICTIM PAUL, 28, BEING CARED FOR AT CENTRE IN BURY

“BRING my son home.”

That’s the message from devoted mum Kate Turnbull, who makes daily 60-mile round trips from Slaithwaite to a rehabilitation centre in Lancashire where her son Paul receives crucial care.

Paul, 28, suffered catastrophic brain injuries as well as head trauma, a broken neck and a punctured lung in a car crash on the moors above Meltham in March 2015.

In the past two years he has fought to regain his health.

Now mum Kate, 52, is hoping to install specialist equipment in her 19th century cottage, make it wheelchair friendly and return Paul to the heart of his family.

But it requires extensive remodelling and the cost is likely to be significant.

Kate gave up her job to focus fulltime on Paul’s care. She is convinced that the key to his improvement lies in familiar surroundings.

“In the long term getting him home is probably the best thing for him,” says Kate from Paul’s bedside at The Priory in Bury, where he receives round-the-clock care.

“He has lived in Slaithwaite most of his life. He understands what is said so he would be aware enough to know that he is home. We look across the valley and he will remember that from childhood.

“It would be so much easier if I moved but for Paul to come back to where he knows he belongs important.”

Kate has a “to-do” list of vital improvements to her house. They include tarmacing the lane outside, widening doors for wheelchair access, adapting Paul’s bedroom to include a wetroom and installing a lift.

She’s been buoyed up by support from family, neighbours and friends such as Pole Moor Riding Club, which raised a hefty £2,600 towards the estimated £3,563 needed just to tarmac the lane.

Earlier this year Paul seemed to show improvement with his speech. However a setback with infection frequently leaves him exhausted and he spends a lot of time sleeping.

“He recognises people and his friends. He adores his niece, Hatty, who is four. If you talk to him and say something funny, if he’s in a bright mood he will react by smiling. You can get a giggle out of him. It’s just so inconsistent because he is really tired.”

Mum-of-five Kate is now liaising with Kirklees Council over Paul’s future plans and trying to come up with fundraising ideas for the extra care he will need.

“We are lucky that Paul was such a popular young man. Everyone wants to help,” she says.