A Potters Bar athlete who recovered from a life-changing cycling accident took part in his first Quadrathlon challenge in aid of Comic Relief.

After crashing face first into a concrete pavement in 2017, father-of-three Rae Saleem was left paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again by experts at the Royal London Hospital Major Trauma Unit.

But as the months passed, he slowly regained movement one limb at a time following his intense rehab at the London Spinal Injury Centre in Stanmore, and with the help of his NHS team trained himself how to walk again.

He still experiences body pains, spasms, pins and needles, burning nerves and is weaker on his right-hand side.

But his story has been nothing short of miraculous and he is "now living life 2.0" – he is walking again and as part of his journey back to fitness, he took on a series of fundraising challenges to support the charities who helped him during his recovery.

His latest focus was on Red Nose Day 2022, in which Rae showed his support for Comic Relief’s four key themes; homelessness, domestic abuse, child poverty and mental health problems.

He took part in two events over the weekend, Saturday’s at The Venue in Borehamwood and Sunday’s in Furzefield Leisure Centre, raising more than £1,200 on the days and online.

In order to cover a total of 82 miles, Rae rowed for 10K, cross-trained for 10K, cycled for 90K and ended the challenge with 21.2K on a treadmill.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: From the days of the events, around £150 had been raised in cash and until now, £1,147 had been raised online.From the days of the events, around £150 had been raised in cash and until now, £1,147 had been raised online. (Image: Morosini Photography)

Rae said: “Comic Relief ticks so many boxes of causes which are personal to me and my family and I have an opportunity to help. You can help too by fundraising for Red Nose Day this year.

F"or me it’s been amazing to give back to charities and help be the change after they helped me so much throughout my recovery. Small amounts, large amounts, it all adds up to make a big difference."

Comic Relief chief executive Samir Patel added: “What’s so special about Red Nose Day is that it brings people from all over the UK together to make a big difference. We are so thankful for the incredible support from our fundraisers because whatever you do, big or small, helps people live free from poverty, violence and discrimination."

To donate money to Rae's JustGiving page, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/rae-saleem-quadchallenge