THE family of Southampton motorbike crash victim Wayne Howard will open a charity shop tomorrow to help other brain-damaged patients.

Plans for the shop were unveiled in August, four years after the father of three suffered horrific injuries in a near-fatal road accident.

The crash left former Manx GP racer Wayne with terrible brain damage, as well as robbing him of his right leg.

His family has spent months setting up a new shop to raise money for the Wayne Howard Trust, a charity it launched to help brain injury victims reach their full potential.

Initially, the family hopes to provide support and information to anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation.

But the ultimate goal is to raise enough money to build a specialist neurological and rehabilitation clinic to offer a lifeline for acquired brain injury patients and their families.

Southampton Mayor Dennis Harryman is due to open the first Wayne Howard Trust charity shop at 23a Church Street, Shirley, at 4.30pm tomorrow.

Wayne, now 36, of Porlock Road, Millbrook, is making excellent progress after being flown to a top German clinic for treatment in 2002.

Daily Echo readers helped to raise more than £30,000 to fund Wayne's trip to the renowned Schmieder Clinic, where he was given intensive physiotherapy and a prosthetic leg.

A salsa night in aid of the Wayne Howard Trust takes place at La Margherita restaurant, Town Quay, Southampton, between 8pm and 1am on Sunday, November 14.

The fundraiser will include a funky warm-up, Latin-themed cabaret and dancing to the south's top salsa DJs.

Tickets cost £7 each and can be obtained by telephoning 07986 352532 or 07989 887456.

THE WAYNE HOWARD TRUST:

Acquired brain injury can have a devastating effect - not only on the injured individual, but also on their families and relatives.

There are many misconceptions regarding this type of injury, which often leaves families confused and vulnerable.

The Wayne Howard Trust is a local charity set up to further the work originally achieved by the Wayne Howard Appeal Fund.

It aims to offer much-needed

support and advice to families, as well as positive help to the injured individual.

The charity's ultimate objective is to set up a specialist rehabilitation centre in the Hampshire area.

A trust spokeswoman said: "We believe that, through our own

personal experience, we can offer much-needed support and advice to these families, as well as give positive help to the injured individual."

For more information or to make a donation, contact The Wayne Howard Trust, 16 Railway Cottages, Tate Road, Old Redbridge, Southampton, SO15 0NL, or telephone 023 8087 1696.

Alternatively, e-mail information@thewaynehowardtrust.co.uk or visit the website at www.thewaynehowardtrust.co.uk