South Cambridgeshire man who needs heart transplant after golf buggy crash raises money for charity with Christmas lights
A South Cambridgeshire man who needs a new heart following a collision in a golf buggy has decorated his home with Christmas lights and opened a Santa’s grotto to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.
Allan Newman, 59, was driving his golf buggy around a lake in Fenstanton three years ago when he was in a head-on collision with a car, injuring his chest on the buggy’s steering wheel.
Since then, due to the damage caused by the accident, he has needed two heart operations, including one to fit a pacemaker, but has now been told he will need a heart transplant.
He is hoping to give back to the charity that is carrying out research into heart treatments by inviting people to visit his Christmas lights wonderland at his home in Foxton and make a donation.
Allan said: “While I’m waiting for my new heart I just want to do something to give back to the British Heart Foundation and to put a smile on children’s faces.
“I’ve had a couple of procedures on my heart that went wrong and since I came out of hospital in September I have been very determined to light up my house this Christmas to make money for the charity. And I want to bring a smile to children’s faces.
Allan explained that his health troubles began following a crash that happened while he was driving a golf buggy.
He said: “I had a road accident three years ago and my chest hit the steering wheel of a golf buggy when a car hit me in a head-on collision.
“I was in a golf buggy driving around a fishing lake in Fenstanton. A car came flying around the corner on the gravel.
“He couldn’t stop and the car skidded straight into me, knocking unconscious. I was paralysed from the legs down for the first 24 hours. And then obviously I got my feeling back, but I had broken my back. I had a wedge fracture on the T8 vertebrae in the middle of my back, which has mended but mended wrong and I’m in pain.
“I had a pacemaker fitted straight after the accident as an emergency because my heart rate went down to 20 beats per minute. And I’ve had procedures to get my heart working again properly, because it went into heart failure and atrial fibrillation.”
One procedure on his aorta was a failure and caused extensive bleeding. He has now been put on a heart transplant list.
Allan said: “I had to start building everything for the Christmas lights and decorations weeks ahead of the switch on, which happened on 1 December, because I could only work one or two hours a day before I was exhausted because I’m so out of breath due to my heart.
“I’ve really enjoyed making all the decorations, including a seven-foot long sleigh for Santa when he visits, a wooden train for the roof, Santa’s workshop and grotto and there is also a candy cane lane, plus the house is lit up with Christmas lights.”
Allan’s Christmas lights are at his home at 42 Hillfield, Foxton.
Visit shorturl.at/Mj78J to donate via Just Giving.