Inspirational Swindon radio presenter Ryan Simões-Hibberd will be running in the Chippenham Half Marathon to raise funds for a charity that’s very close to his heart, as SUE BRADLEY discovers

RYAN Simões-Hibberd was 19 when a horrific car accident robbed him of his sight and compromised his memory.

Five years later his world was further turned upside down when his mum died after a short illness.

All in all fate has dealt a rum hand to this music-loving young man, who once hoped to become a journalist.

Yet Ryan’s attitude to life is to “just get on with it, try to be positive and be thankful” — so much so that come September he’ll be putting on his running shoes and taking part in the Chippenham Half Marathon to raise money for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Ryan, now 27 and a presenter on Swindon 105.5, was airlifted to Frenchay Hospital in July 2009 after a car in which he was travelling careered across the M5 and crashed. The accident, of which he has no recollection, killed the car’s driver, Jennifer John from London.

Passing motorists pulled Ryan from the burning vehicle and he was treated at the scene by off-duty doctor Ben Walton, with whom he was recently reunited on the weekly radio show, Sideways Look, which he co-presents with Gary Law.

“It was incredible to meet him, say thank you and express how grateful I am,” recalls Ryan, who spent two months in intensive care at Frenchay Hospital before being transferred to BIRU (Brain Injury Recovery Unit) for 10 months.

Jennifer and Ryan had been on their way to see Kasabian perform at The Eden Project when the accident happened. They had met through the band’s fan forum, with Jennifer offering to give Ryan a lift to what would have been his 16th Kasabian gig.

It was some time before Ryan was well enough to attend another of the group’s performances, and the experience is one that will be forever etched on his mind.

“Serge, the song writer, guitarist and occasional vocalist, was going down the stage giving people high fives,” he recalls.

“When he got to me he gave me a hug and said it was great to see me at the concert.

“Then the lead singer, Tom Meighan, sang a song dedicated to me and the memory of Jennifer. It was extremely humbling.”

Ryan’s decision to run in the Chippenham Half Marathon is his way of contributing to Wiltshire Air Ambulance — a service that’s vital in saving many lives but wholly dependent on public fundraising.

He joined the Chippenham Harriers two years ago to improve his fitness and is following a training programme created by Chris Oakley from the club.

Ryan is able to take part in runs with the aid of a partner and a figure-of-eight guide rope that keeps them together.

“It seems incredible that I need a cane to walk with but I can go out running,” laughs Ryan, a former pupil of Sheldon School.

“I was extraordinarily sceptical to begin with, but my partner is able to guide me using the rope and pass on information about where we are running, changes in surfaces and things like that.

“A lot of people might expect me to feel nervous or anxious about bumping into something when I’m running, but I trust the people I am running with to such an extent that I feel no fear or hesitancy.

“It feels enjoyable when I am running because I like being active. Afterwards it’s wonderful knowing I have been able to do it. It ticks a little self-confidence box inside me.

“I am determined to support the air ambulance service – there’s no thanks I can give it that would be enough.”

Being a radio presenter is another aspect of Ryan’s life that brings him a great deal of satisfaction.

“I was due to go to university to study journalism in the September following the accident but I couldn’t continue with my plans due to my memory problems,” explains Ryan, who can also be heard co-presenting the Youth Matters show.

“Swindon 105.5 has been phenomenal. It’s given me purpose as I’ve always wanted to do something in the media. Losing my sight was very difficult initially, but as time went on I realised there’s nothing I can do about it, so I just get on with it, try to be positive and be thankful.”

Ryan attended the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford to learn Braille and independent living skills after his accident.

Nowadays he receives daily help from carers Debra Hagan and Beverley Duncan and shares his home in Chippenham with his grandfather, Tony Hibberd, who moved in after the death of mum Vanessa from a stomach condition three years ago.

Losing the woman who had brought him up single-handedly and helped him through the aftermath of the accident was tough for Ryan, and he says he’s very grateful for everything Tony has done for him.

“Mum was incredible: supportive, engaging and non-judgmental,” says Ryan.

“My grandfather has always been a strong male presence in my life, someone I have always looked up to, and we’ve become closer since we started living together.

“He’s extremely pleasant and forgiving and has a great sense of humour.”

Comedy is something that both men have in common and they’ve been to see Jo Brand and Billy Connolly together, along with a live recording of Mrs Brown’s Boys, a birthday present for Tony.

Last year the retired painter and decorator took his grandson to Germany in his camper van to visit the towns he had known while doing his National Service there back in the 1950s.

“During my mum’s last days she said that Gramp had always wanted to go back to Germany and I made a promise that we would go, thinking it would be the three of us,” says Ryan.

“It was really nice to be able to honour that promise.”

Despite his disabilities, Ryan is still passionate about live music. He sees his favourite singers and bands as much as possible and uses his laptop, which has speech software, to communicate with other fans through Facebook.

“Music has always been a huge part of my life,” says Ryan, whose favourite acts include Kaiser Chiefs, Robbie Williams, The Killers, Jersey Budd and, of course, Kasabian.

“I have a big attachment to Kasabian: they took me out of pop music and made me want to go to concerts around the UK.

“They made me want to look a bit further afield than Chippenham and I have made some great friends through going to see the band perform.

“My regard for the band has enabled me to expand my prospects in life, even if it is linked to the car crash, the worst thing that has happened to me.”

To sponsor Ryan’s run during the Chippenham Half Marathon on September 10, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/ryans-h