Father-of-two Michael Anthony Bellas died in June 2009 (From The Northern Echo)

Father-of-two Michael Anthony Bellas died in June 2009

8:41am Tuesday 9th February 2010

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money raised to give a paralysed man greater independence has been donated to a hospital because he died before he was able to use it.

Father-of-two Michael Anthony Bellas died at home in Spennymoor, County Durham, in June last year.

The 26-year-old had been tetraplegic since a car accident in 2008, and friends and family had launched an appeal to help him.

His father, Clive, from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, was delighted when supporters agreed the £20,000 appeal proceeds should go to another good cause.

Yesterday, he donated a wheelchair-accessible bus bought with the money to The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

The bus will be used by the hospital’s spinal injuries ward, mainly to take patients on social outings.

Mr Bellas said medical and home care staff, particularly at the hospital, had been hugely supportive of his son.

He said: “The bus was a way of saying thanks to them and using money raised for Michael to help other people in a similar situation. The hospital has use of other buses during the week, but I hope this one can give the spinal injuries unit more flexibility and be used for socialising at weekends.

“I did not want to just hand over a cheque and lose track of how it is spent, I feel good to be able to help the ward in his name.”

Mr Bellas thanked supporters, particularly his sister, Sandra Hall, brother and sister-in-law Ian and Sheena Bellas and former boss at Hydro Polymers Paul Wheatley, who encouraged business contacts to donate.

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