A 32-YEAR-OLD who lost his leg following a horrific accident on a farm is learning to roller skate as part of his determination to rehabilitate.

Rob Loaring-Adams, from Ardleigh, decided to have his leg amputated below the knee last October after the chronic pain from the accident six years ago took its toll.

Rob, who married Ellie months before it happened on a farm in the Colchester area, was left with terrible arthritis.

He said: “A machine fell off a tractor which dislocated my ankle and smashed my toes in the process which basically meant I went to hospital.

“They put my ankle back but didn’t do anything with my toes. So it was two horrific injuries side by side. It led me to having 14 months off work.”

He added: “It was never going to get better, we went through all the possibilities and it was about four years ago I saw an article about an ex-serviceman from Afghanistan hit by an IED. He decided six months in he couldn’t deal with the lack of what he wanted to do so decided to have it off.

“It stuck to my conscience. We staved off as long as we could but I deteriorated.”

Another option would have been for the bones in Rob’s ankle to be broken and fused back together but it would have lost its movement.

“At 30-years-old I was keen to get on with my life. The day before the accident I had run a 10k for charity with Ellie and the next day I was in a hospital bed.

"It has been a big adjustment. I remained positive with Ellie throughout the whole thing.”

The NHS amputation operation took place at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and Rob had his first prosthetic by Christmas 2018.

He is going from strength to strength having just started a new job at a trade counter.

But it was three years ago when a former love of ice hockey was reignited which inspired him to get moving - despite what the future held following his injury.

Rob came across Demon Xtreme extreme sports store in Cowdray Avenue after an internet search.

The firm has also recently taken over the Rollerworld roller skating rink.

Its co-founder Anne Khan said: "I made Rob a promise that I’d help him get skating again after his operation and when we took over Rollerworld it was just fate.

“He came into the store to buy a pair of skates and the rink was closed, so we headed through and got him roller skating there and then.

“Many people would be too mentally fragile to take to the rink again but not Rob, he really is an inspiration to us all.”

Rob added: “I used to skate with Anne and Jason (managing director of Demon Xtreme) as part of the Bunker Boys Ice Hockey team and wanted to get back into playing.

"I came in to buy a pair of skates but Anne and Jason lent me some and we went through to the rink to give it a go. It felt like a really positive step towards getting on with life which had been halted for six years and returning to some of things my wife and I want to do together.

"I didn’t fall over either which is a bonus.”