A COMMUNITY has rallied around the family of a man fighting for his life by raising thousands of pounds.

Mark Sale has been left with life-changing injuries after being involved in a horrific car crash in Suffolk earlier this month.

He is in a critical condition in Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridgeshire.

Those close to Mark and people touched by his story have flooded his stricken family with support.

Mark’s friends Keeley and Michael Palmer decided to put on a fun day at Harwich and Parkeston Football Club to raise money to support his family.

With just two day’s notice, the pair managed to draw hundreds of people the ground on Sunday and they raised £1,283.

Keeley said: “We didn’t expect as many people to turn up, it was brilliant to see.

“The raffle was excellent, we had over 100 prizes donated.

“Mark is our best friend and he is family to us, so we wanted to put this on.

“This just goes to show how Harwich people do pull together and when it comes down to it, we are a tight-knit community.”

Lee Sale, Mark’s brother, said he was “humbled” by the thousands of messages of support received by the family.

He visited Mark, who is 34 and from Dovercourt, in hospital on Monday.

He said: “They have started to bring him around out of the induced coma.

“He is still critical but stable - I visited him and he moved his arm and he is moving his legs.

“We are more concerned about a blood clot on his lung.

“The fundraiser was arranged by Michael and Keeley, who are Mark’s best friends.

“It is such a humble feeling having this support and they have done a brilliant job.”

Lee will tackle a challenge in aid of his brother on Monday, traversing a difficult route to the top of Mount Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales.

He said: “A Justgiving page has raised another £2,000 which takes us up to about £3,500.

“I am going to Snowdonia on Monday to walk a dangerous route I took a couple of times when I was in the Marines.

“Around nine or ten people a year are lost doing it.

“I wanted to do something which would be a challenge.

“I have sponsor forms made up for it which can be found at any shop in Dovercourt.

“We really don’t know what will happen if my brother pulls through, we may have to re-do my mum’s house with machinery or equipment.

“We just don’t know what is going to happen so raising some money to prepare is important.

“A lot of this is also about keeping busy and keeping my mind busy at this time.”

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