Welcome Home, Eric!

And a huge, Henfield ‘thank you’ to everyone who made it happen…

Almost a year ago something unimaginable happened to the Williams family, something life-shattering, which has tested their resilience and given them a very different perspective on life. Here is the story of the past year of Eric's life, we have been tasked by him to express his deep gratitude to everyone who has supported him since that day.

Eric Williams is one of those people who you know you can always call on for help, who will be there without question and without any expectations. He doesn't want thanks or publicity (however hard we have tried at BN5 in the past!) his quiet kindnesses over the years have made him the friend of many individuals in Henfield. You probably won't know him personally, but chances are that one of his many acts of kindness will have made your life better. 

To list a few; he’s a volunteer at the BP Guild, he’s Chairman of HART and a First Responder, formerly chairman of the Clarke’s Mead Trust (currently building the magnificent new Scout Community Centre), a very dedicated volunteer at the Henfield Haven and deliverer of Foodbank parcels. He’s always been there when a marquee needs putting up, or someone needs practical help. His wife Sara is a similar person, heavily involved in the Haven and Guiding in Henfield. Both are retired, but probably a lot busier than most of us who work!

In September last year, Eric was away on the annual B-P Guild holiday when he suffered a freak accident. He tripped over a paving stone in the street and fell; in the process he suffered a severe spinal injury with his fourth vertebrae compounded, leaving him with tetraplegic (commonly known as quadriplegic) paralysis. In layman’s terms, he has movement from his shoulders upwards only. The accident left him in hospital in Oxford, then Worthing, for a total of 97 long days, then a further seven months in Stoke Mandeville Spinal Injury Unit.

None of us can imagine the pain and trauma Eric and his family have been through over the last year, most of their experiences are best left unsaid. Readjusting to life with such limitations is an incredible challenge, let alone navigating a disjointed and obtuse ‘care’ and social system, which (even though it has the kindest people working in it) seems set up to scupper them at every turn. Sara turned into an expert not just on Eric’s medical condition, but on dealing with the services, NHS and council departments to get Eric home.

Eric and Sara’s small home in Parsonage Road was transformed to accommodate Eric’s chair, to create a wet-room and accommodate hoists and an accessible bedroom for him downstairs, as well as an accessible garden. Once underway, the build happened over two months, ready for the fast-approaching deadline of Eric’s release from hospital. Their list of ‘thank yous’ is huge, so please forgive any omissions, below are a few people who made it happen.

The build, project managed by Paul Mason (also a BP Guildsman) with his architect, was cleverly done, they created a useable space when Sara couldn't see a solution. Nigel Parson’s team of builders (Jason Knight, Gordon Reid, Alan Edwards) led by Adam Parsons, who went above and beyond, often giving their time for free and negotiating supplier discounts, as well as giving a monetary donation. Supporting them were Mark Lawrence plasterer, LanMar electricals, Heat Sussex, MRL Grab & Tip and Sussex Readymix. Bob Cragg carpets and flooring, Andy Warren who worked his magic on the carpentry, Gardener & Scardifield who gave almost £1k in materials free of charge, Lawson’s merchants who gave all the timber for free. Topps Tiles gave a large discount and Howdens in Shoreham discounted the doors.

Thank you to those who gave their time to visit Eric in hospital and keep his spirits up, such as the BP Guild and Hart members, Kaz who was there whatever the weather, Paul Crowe for the enormous Jogathon fundraising effort. Their friends at the Henfield Haven who fundraised with raffles and quiz nights and Lilly’s beautiful hand-made pots, and all the clubs, family and friends who created a Christmas video for Eric to send messages of love during a very dark time, when he was trapped in hospital over Christmas. The 63 supporters on the progress WhatsApp group who watched Eric’s determination and matched it with their support.

For them both, they are grateful for close-knit family who kept them sane, daughters Victoria and Alexandra who carry on the tradition of ‘getting on with it’; the close friends who were a shoulder to cry on, Mary Simmonds and Ruth Robotham, for whom no challenge or small task was too much. Their help and acts of kindness smoothed the wheels and made it all bearable.

All these individuals, groups and businesses, alongside the incredible team of nurses, specialists, physios and carers, gave their support without question – each and every one contributed to the team effort. To those friends, strangers and kind people who donated what they could – your generosity was unexpected and is met with huge gratitude.

Sara’s dedication paid off at the end of August, when Eric finally came home. This is just the start, and they have no idea what's round the corner, as none of us do. Eric’s advice is valuable – don't put off what you can do today - tell people how you are grateful, and live life.

The word ‘inspirational’ is overused these days, but there really is no other word for the Williams family, never wavering in their determination to get Eric as he can be and back home in Henfield. Eric has seen the darkest of times; but has also experienced huge kindnesses from friends and strangers. 

Finally, please take a look at the photo of Sara and Eric, which speaks a thousand words. As John Lennon said, it's simple. Love is the answer.

Emma Cole

A small request. Although Eric and Sara are reluctant to continue fundraising, at BN5 we absolutely know that an adapted vehicle will broaden Eric’s horizons and allow him some simple pleasures to get him through life, especially a trip to his beloved Amex as a life-long Albion fan. Please do consider a small donation if you can, thank you.