A MAN who was in a coma for two months following a horrific car accident is walking from Barry to Tenby in support of the charity that helped him in his recovery.

Barry man Robert Bates was left with grave injuries after crashing his car in a Dinas Powys lane in 2010. His girlfriend at the time was left with a shattered pelvis and Mr Bates was in a coma for two months, something he is still feeling the effects of today.

"I still have some short term issues, I forget things," he said. "I've taken a lot of big steps but the little ones are still happening. I still feel like I'm making a recovery."

The charity Headway - who work with people who have suffered brain injuries - played a big part in helping Mr Bates after he left Rookwood Hospital and so the 28-year-old Morrisons team manager, decided he would take on a challenge to raise money on their behalf.

He said: "I was very lucky to get out of that crash alive. Looking at all the people I was in hospital with, some of them are still battling on, but they will never fully recover.

"Recovering as much as I have, I can do something so I think it's right that I do this to raise some money for Headway.

"I want to raise as much as possible. They are completely charity funded and were a great help to me. They provide the missing link between hospital and normal life for people with brain injuries."

Mr Bates has dubbed his charity challenge "Head West 4 Headway", in which he and girlfriend Jenny Jones, 28, will be walking 127 miles from Barry to Tenby along the coastline over the course of eight days, camping out along the way.

Mr Bates said: "It will be a challenge. I'm not as fit as I used to be.

"The weather looks like it might not be great for it either but we'll struggle on with a bit of grit and determination."

To sponsor The Head West 4 Headway challenge you can visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/headwest-4-headway or put money into one of the collection boxes being kept at Morrisons in Barry.