A WHEELCHAIR bound 22-year-old was able to walk again, after being hit by a car five years ago.

On Sunday (November 17), Joe Landon was invited to Wyvern College to take part in a morning filled with Duke of Edinburgh activities, and year 10 and 11 students assisted Joe to walk back and fourth across the sports hall using specialist equipment.

Joe was knocked off his bike and hit by a car in 2013, as he cycled from the service road that leads to the back of Waitrose into Ashley Road.

The incident left Joe, who was 18-years-old at the time, unable to move or talk, and has caused him to be wheelchair bound for the past five years, with regular hospital visits and physiotherapy.

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Reflecting on Joe’s walking challenge, mother Sue Landon said: “Everyone was so supportive and the kids were so keen to cheer Joe on, it was lovely.

“He [Joe] walked up and down the sports hall of Wyvern College a couple of times, which was pretty far for someone who hasn’t walked for five years.”

Joe has been taking part in walking sessions using an Ekso Skeleton since June, which is a piece of equipment that assists with limb movement.

When asked about Joe’s progress while using the Ekso Skeleton, Sue replied with “he loves it”, and sessions with the kit have helped Joe increase his step count from 30 to 280 in the past six months.

Provided by Hobbs Rehabilitation, Sue described the Ekso Skeleton as a “robotic frame”, adding: “I don’t think it’s been used for a brain injury before, it’s so unique there really is no piece of kit like it in the UK.

“It really is an amazing piece of kit but needs a certain level of expertise, Joe took to it easily and can balance himself in it, and then he’s just so happy plodding away.”

The Joseph Landon Foundation held a dinner in June, to raise money for Joe to move out of residential care and into an adapted bungalow that would suit his needs.

Joe’s current accommodation is in the Glenside Manor campus, and development plans for Joe’s new bungalow in Porton began yesterday, as “the next big thing to crack on with” for Sue.

Sue added: “I am so grateful to everyone who has been so supportive, including those who have donated, friends, Hobbs and Glenside.”

For more information about Joe and the charity, visit The Joseph Landon Foundation Facebook page.