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

Plans for the shop were unveiled today, four years after dad-of-three Wayne suffered horrendous injuries in a near-fatal road accident.

As well as robbing the former Manx GP racer of his right leg, which had to be amputated, the crash left Wayne with terrible brain damage.

The new shop, which will open in Church Street, Shirley later this year, will raise cash for the Wayne Howard Trust, a charity set up by Wayne's family 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 like Wayne.

The 36-year-old is now making excellent progress after being flown to a top German clinic for treatment in 2002.

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

Now Wayne's family wants to use their own experiences to help others in the same boat.

Already two other families have made contact through the charity's newly launched website.

Wayne's partner, Tracy Goodwin, 38, of Porlock Road, Millbrook, said: "The money we raise will help people who don't want to go with the system here.

"Even in this day and age, people in Wayne's situation are not normally sent home to be with their family.

"The pipe dream at the end of it all is to actually set up a clinic in the UK, which would be just fantastic."

Tracy has been delighted her partner has made such good progress after seeking treatment outside the UK. "Wayne is doing really, really well," she said. "Since the change in medication, he hasn't had a single fit - which in turn has helped enhance his communication.

"Before that, he would have a fit about every six weeks, and it would be a vicious circle of him improving and then going downhill again.

"His memory has also improved because he is not so dosed up on medication now."

Wayne currently has three physiotherapy sessions a week - one on the NHS and two which the couple pay for privately.

Wayne had been a fit, fun-loving motorbike and martial arts enthusiast before the accident on Sunday, August 20, 2000.

Ironically, Tracy had been due to start her first full-time job the following day after having the couple's three sons, Jayd, Jordan, and Connor, now 12, ten and seven respectively.

Volunteers are needed to help fit out the forthcoming Wayne Howard Trust shop, as well as man it once it opens.

Anyone who can lend a hand or help with fundraising is urged to contact the trust on 023 8087 1696 or 07986 352532.