Your DAILY ECHO is today backing a major new community campaign to send a brain-damaged father-of-three to Germany for vital treatment.

Wayne Howard, 34, was a super-fit martial arts expert and top class amateur motorcyclist who raced in the Isle of Man Manx GP before a horrific biking accident robbed him of his health.

Wayne hit the windscreen of a car in the smash, severely damaging his brain. He also had to have his right leg amputated and has no sensation in his right arm following the tragedy.

Wayne, who is now wheelchair-bound, has difficulty speaking, has lost much of his memory and is often unable to recognise his children.

Partner Tracy Goodwin, 35, of Porlock Road, Millbrook, Southampton, who is the mother of their three children - Jayd, 10, Jordan, 8 and Connor, 4, said: "He was the most sociable guy before - the sort who would go out on his own and come back with lots of new friends. He had a zest for life.

"It is hard knowing what he was like and the life he has now. The kids are pretty good with it. They know he has memory problems. Even the four-year-old has gone to him and said 'hello dad, I'm Connor. I am your youngest son'.

"They have coped with it brilliantly. First of all we had 'when is dad's leg going to grow back?' but now they have accepted the reality."

Now Wayne, a former painter and decorator, needs £25,000 worth of treatment at Germany's renowned Shmeider Clinic, which specialises in brain damage, and the Daily Echo is backing the campaign to help him get there.

Tracy, who cares for Wayne and the family full-time, said: "We decided that Wayne couldn't have that sort of life. Then we saw a programme on TV about the Shmeider Clinic. They showed a lady who had been in a coach crash and was in a vegetative state - worse than Wayne. Her partner sent her to the clinic. First thing they did was to get her on her feet. Then they wire you up to a machine to read your brain patterns.

"We are hoping that there will be a positive impact - anything to get his brain to react. There is no miracle cure, it is just to get more of a life for him. I am hoping it will improve his quality of life - we don't have a lot of life at the moment. Anything the clinic finds he reacts to positively is something we can continue with at home."

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Word of the family's plight has already spread and people across the city are organising an array of sponsored events to help the family hit their fundraising target and Daily Echo readers can help, too.

Readers who want to get involved can send donations to The Wayne Howard Appeal Fund, 16 Railway Cottages, Tate Road, Old Redbridge, Southampton, SO15 0NL. Cheques should be made payable to The Wayne Howard Appeal Fund - please do not send cash.

Readers who want to organise fundraising events to help Wayne get to Germany should contact Isobel Howard on 07986 352532.

If you're holding an event to raise cash for the appeal let us know.

Contact Gareth Lewis on 023 8042 4499 or e-mail using the link above.