Chris Wilson was left for dead after brutal attack in Tenerife

Back in May 2010 Chris Wilson, of Thorncliffe Road, was brutally beaten over the head when being mugged on holiday in Tenerife.

This near fatal experience resulted in Mr Wilson having a third of his skull removed as well being placed in an induced coma for one month.

“I woke up a month later with total memory loss and it felt like I became a baby again, I couldn’t read, write, move or speak - I had to re-learn even the most basic of things,” he said.

However, over the years he has worked hard to help regain some of his health. One of the ways he has done this is through music.

Mr Wilson joined the Cast Theatre Company, based at Barrow Island Community Hub, six years ago and since then he has become an irreplaceable part of the group.

“When I first joined the group there weren’t bothered at all that I was in a wheelchair,” he said.

“They have helped me go from strength to strength and it has done wonders for my confidence.”

His mother Christine Wilson said: “It is our goal to make Chris as independent as possible, as neither myself or my husband David will be around forever.

“We really encourage Chris to get involved with as many things as possible. As well as joining Cast Theatre Company he also volunteers with Age UK, Cando FM and Barrow’s Foodbank.

“Everyone from Cast has been really supportive and the all-inclusive atmosphere of the group has really helped Chris to make friends.

“He has been going for six years now and he considers them more like family.

“Being a part of a musical group is great as songs are a fantastic way to help with his memory. It uses a different part of his the brain and although he struggles when he has to read lines he can always sing.”

Graham Barker, artistic director for Cast, said: “We try our hardest to remain a community focused group, open to everybody and we really want to encourage people that it’s not so much about performing, but more about being a part of a team.”