A CRAFTSMAN who severed his hand in a horrific accident is to auction a collection of bespoke furniture in aid of the charity that helped him.

Malcolm Pipes accidentally cut off his left hand while operating a circular saw at his workshop in Carlton Husthwaite, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, in February.

Quick-thinking medics from the Yorkshire Air Ambulance kept the hand functioning by packing it in a bag of frozen peas.

The furniture-maker was airlifted to hospital in Leeds, where surgeons re-attached his hand.

Mr Pipes, who spent ten days in hospital after the accident, has not been able to work since.

He attends physiotherapy sessions in an effort to restore more movement to his hand.

Mr Pipes, a craftsman for 48 years, spent 21 years working at the famous Robert “Mouseman”

Thompson workshop, in Kilburn.

Known as Fox Man, he carved a fox’s mask onto every item he made.

The Thirsk Furniture Trail, a group of local craftsmen, of which Mr Pipes is a member, has collected 12 pieces of bespoke furniture – including a child’s chair and a box for storing blankets.

These will be auctioned next month, with proceeds donated to the air ambulance.

Mr Pipes’ workshop and showroom, where he has been based since setting up a business in 1981, has lain silent for nearly eight months.

But the 63-year-old is upbeat and full of praise for the air ambulance crews and hospital staff who looked after him.

He said: “I count myself very, very lucky – I could have bled to death in my workshop.

“I was cutting a piece of wood, when I was distracted.

That’s when it happened.

“The air ambulance landed in a field behind my house. I was so well looked-after.

“If there is anything I can do to help Yorkshire Air Ambulance, then I will.”

The furniture will be auctioned at Tennants Auctioneers, in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, in November.

Viewing will take place between November 15 and November 18.

It will be sold on Saturday, November 21, as part of a three-day sale starting on November 19.

Diane Sinnott, a valuer for Tennants, said the pieces are worth up to £200 each, at a rough estimate.

On that basis, the collection could raise as much as £2,000 for the air ambulance.

The story of Mr Pipes’ dramatic rescue will be told in the BBC1 series Helicopter Heroes, at 9.15am, on Monday.

For more information about the sale, visit tennants.co.uk An air ambulance spokesman said “We cannot thank Malcolm enough for what he is doing. We would also like to extend our thanks to his fellow furniture makers of the Thirsk Furniture Trail who have kindly donated pieces to be included in the auction.”