The injury wasn't even work related - Chris was walking down some steps when he twisted his ankle, to be told in hospital that he had both fractured and dislocated it. Initially he was told he wouldn't be able to work for five to six weeks, but he soon found out that his job meant he would actually be off work for 14 weeks. Chris's wife works for him, looking after the administration side of the business, so no work meant no income at all.
Chris said: "We have two young children, a mortgage, lease on a car - all the usual trappings - so it was all a real shock. I had a small insurance policy, but the payout fell way short of what I needed, covering only about half of our regular outgoings. I knew of Light Relief but was hesitant about contacting them, even though I was really stressed about how we were going to cope, until one of my colleagues spurred me on.
"The trustees at Light Relief were brilliant. I knew the charity wouldn't be a continual source of funds, but they awarded me 50% of my outgoings on my mortgage and the car for two months, which made such a difference. I was able to afford some private physiotherapy treatment, which actually got me back to work a good four weeks earlier than anticipated."
Having suffered his accident on 30 April, Chris didn't start work again until 12 August, catching up with Starlight Express in Bradford. He continues: "After such a long break, I'm only just getting back up to speed and start work on Hairspray next week. The support from the industry has been tremendous and once we get back on our feet, I am certainly going to give something back to Light Relief. It was fantastic."
(Jim Evans)
