Silent pupils help out injured Tunstall dad Glyn Holland (video)

PUPILS are raising money for a former student who was left in a wheelchair after a freak accident on holiday.

Father-of-one Glyn Holland, from Tunstall, is paralysed from the neck down after slipping and banging his head in the shallow end of a pool in Majorca last September.

Now students from Ormiston Horizon Academy, in Chell, are raising money to pay for the 33-year-old to undergo pioneering laser acupuncture treatment.

Glyn's sister Michelle Holland-Washington, of Ruxley Road, Bucknall, worked at the school as a science technician for seven years. She left last September last year to pursue a career in teaching.

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The 38-year-old said: "I was really touched when I heard they were doing the event. Glyn has just come out of intensive care, having contracted pneumonia and he is now back in a spinal clinic in Sheffield, where he has been staying since his accident.

"At first we thought he could die but he is now a bit more stable and he's actually speaking and regained some movement in his left arm and shoulders. I know he will be really grateful his former school are thinking of him."

Form tutor Angela Balderson, organised the event after becoming good friends with Michelle.

She said: "I thought a fund-raising week would be a good way of showing that a lot of people are thinking about Glyn. We are going to make a scrapbook of everything that has happened so we can show Glyn what we've been doing. It was such a tragic accident."

Students raised cash by holding bake sales, sponsored reads and silences. They also made a video featuring Glyn's story using flashcards and poems.

Student Alecia Kelter, aged 14, of Chell Heath, said: "Miss Washington used to organise a lot of charity events so we all wanted to do something to help. The activities have been really good."

Skye Bayley, aged 15, of Ball Green, said: "We're all like a big family and it's great that everyone has got behind the event. We have done fund-raising activities before but this is definitely one of the biggest."

Louis Emery, aged 12, of Chell Heath, said: "I really enjoyed making the video. It tells people his story and helps them to realise this could happen to anyone."

Food technician Janine Ridgway used to be in the same year as Glyn at the school.

She said: "It was a real shock when I found out about Glyn's accident. It's fantastic that the school is raising money."

Principal Rod Hughes said: "The event has been a great success and will raise a lot of money for Glyn.

"The school has a big connection to the family with the fact that he used to be a former pupil and his sister Michelle used to work here. She was a popular member of staff."