Denbighshire karate instructor fundraising after 25ft fall from ladder

Stuart Needham, who runs a karate school in Llanbedr DC, was cutting down a tree which had fallen during a storm, when he was rendered unconscious after falling 25 feet off a ladder.

He suffered a fractured skull, a bleed on the brain and a broken collarbone, four ribs, punctured lung, internal bleeds, broke his right hand and dislocated a finger.

“My dad sadly passed away in February, so I had taken the reins at the family home helping out,” Stuart said.

“I was doing a little bit of the tree at a time, cutting through a branch in the garden, and it started to rain.

“So, I said to my mother it’s a bit dangerous, so I am going to come down the ladder. As I did, my foot slipped off and I hit the floor.

“My mum ran in and called for an ambulance and then came straight back out and started CPR.”

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Stuart has no recollection of what happened other than what he has been told.

Upon the air ambulance landing in a nearby field, the crew ran approximately 500 metres to Stuart.

They assessed him before he was moved by road ambulance to the helicopter.

Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury.

Stuart said: “They did an ultrasound of my chest and realized straight away that I had a punctured lung.

“They were able to give me some medicine for internal bleeding and deal with the punctured lung. They took me off to Stoke Hospital and I stayed there for a fortnight.

“I don’t really remember anything that was on May 5, 2023. I have vague recollections of odd things.

“I rang my mum on May 16 to tell her I was in hospital, and she said I know. I’ve been visiting you.”

Stuart was released from hospital on May 20, 2023, and he said initially his recovery was very slow.

He said: “My memory had gone completely. So, I had to do brain training to help improve its performance. There were days where I wasn’t too bad and some where I couldn’t remember a thing.

“The rehabilitation team would come around testing me every day and give me certain things to remember and then they’d come around the next day to see if I had remembered them. By all accounts it was very, very poor. But towards the end it thankfully got better.

“When I was getting 100 per cent, they said right you are fit to go.”

Within weeks of his accident Stuart returned to teaching students at JKS Llanbedr DC Karate.

Stuart also worked with a patient liaison nurse at the Wales Air Ambulance Charity. They help patients as they recover from a critical illness or injury which can be long and challenging. 

He is now on a mission to raise as much money as he can.

He said: “For my birthday I did a fundraiser on Facebook which raised £273.

“We've got a lot of kids in the club, so we've done things like guess how many sweets are in the jar and a raffle, and we have now raised a total of £1,000.”

Stuart says they also aim to hold a 24-hour kata challenge later in the year.

He said: “What I’ve been through and what the air ambulance did for me, you know it’s going to be continuous.

“So, I’ll keep fundraising as much as I can, as if it wasn’t for them, I am not sure whether I’d still be here.”

Debra Sima, regional fundraising manager for North East Wales said: “It’s so great to hear that Stuart has made a full recovery and is able to continue karate and inspiring the next generation along the way!

“We are hugely grateful that he has thought of our charity and has pledged to continue to fundraise for us.

“We really depend on people like him to help us keep doing the lifesaving work that we do, helping thousands of patients the length and breadth of Wales each year.

“We need to raise £11.2million annually – and it really would not be possible without our wonderful supporters.”