A Tameside man has been left with a serious spinal injury after a terrifying charity car jump went wrong.
Callum McHale, 22, from Mossley, did the jump in aid of Tameside -based charity End Result Community Group. He attempted the thrilling stunt at Buxton Raceway in Derbyshire, on Thursday 2 June, to raise money for another Tameside charity called Barty's Community Pantry and Food Bank.
But, videos show Callum driving off a ramp on the racecourse and slamming into a group of cars before flipping around and smashing onto the ground. Paramedics who were already on the scene at the event rushed to help Callum, who ended up breaking a bone in his back.
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The paramedics told him to take Ibuprufen for the pain, and if it got worse, to go to hospital. He was then driven by his family to A&E and later checked in to Tameside Hospital, where he remained for a few days.
Now back at home, Callum has been given medications and is awaiting further treatment from spine specialists at Salford Royal Hospital.
Callum's grandad, Stephen Muir, 55, who runs the End Result Community Group, told the M.E.N. about Callum's daring endeavour.
Stephen, from Dukinfield, said: "Our group has been going for about two and a half years now. We deliver food to the homeless, to hostels, domestic violence units and we do food parcels.
"People donate clothes to us, which we distribute to people who need them.
"Callum, my grandson, loves racing. Four years ago, he did a car jump in aid of Willow Wood Hospice in Ashton, and we raised £750. So he asked me if he could do another car jump in aid of my community group.
"I was happy for him to do it, and he did it and we raised £405. The money will go to Barty’s Community Pantry and Foodbank, which is ran by a man called Steven Barton. We support him every week with food- we work together to help people in Tameside."
Supporters from Tameside showed up to Buxton Raceway to watch Callum do the car jump and donate to the charity appeal. Donations also poured in from people on Facebook.
Stephen continued: "Because of the way he landed, Callum definitely broke a bone in his back. We don't know how bad it is.
"Fingers crossed, we are hoping he will make a full recovery. At the moment, he is in a lot of pain, but he is doing okay.
"We are waiting to see what his scan results are and whether he will need surgery or not. Callum has gotten some really nice comments on Facebook.
"It’s really lovely that everyone is wishing him a speedy recovery. I have told him about it and it’s really great to see.
"He is a young lad who is willing to help - nowadays, people aren’t like that."
Moreover, Stephen explained why doing community work in Tameside is so important to him and the 14 volunteers that run the End Result Community Group.
"Helping people is the highlight for us," the dad-of-five described. "It's all about working together to achieve the same thing.
"I work with lots of community groups, including the Anthony Seddon Fund, which is a mental health charity, and Walking With The Wounded, which supports veterans.
"When Covid hit, we ended up running a food bank outside my house. We hand out hoodies, coats, socks, trainers, sleeping bags, baby clothes, from pre-born all the way up to age 13.
"We are not just UK-based- we have also sent toiletries and items to support people in Ukraine and Syria.
"Anybody struggling in Tameside can private message us on our Facebook page, and one of the moderators can help, or you can pick something up from our storage unit.
"We are more than happy to help. In Tameside, everybody helps everybody, that’s what it’s like there."
Steven Barton, BEM, who runs Barty's Community Pantry and Food Bank, praised Callum for going the extra mile to fundraise for the charity.
He said: "Callum has nearly killed himself doing the car jump - he deserves a lot of accolades. So does Stephen, as well.
"I thought it was a bit risky that Callum wanted to do a car jump, but he is a thrill seeker and loves adrenaline, which is amazing. To raise over £400, and to risk your life, to help us, I can't thank him enough.
" How he is still alive after that car jump, I have no idea. T here are not many people around like him.
"If it wasn’t for people like Callum, our charity wouldn’t be able to keep going."
Additionally, Steven, 52, from Stalybridge, shared how the £405 raised from the car jump will aid his charity.
He continued: "Thanks to Callum and Stephen, we were able to buy a new washer for an elderly lady immediately, and we have got a little bit of money left over for food. We are not just a food bank- we supply fridges, cookers and washers. We did a big giveaway at Christmas and we collected thousands of Easter eggs this year, which we handed out.
"We also supply schools, women’s refuges, care homes, hospitals, and if anyone is struggling, we do emergency parcels."
Finally, Steven revealed his gratitude for Callum and his grandad for their commitment to charity work, adding: "Stephen is an amazing man. He became very poorly with Covid and he couldn't even breathe, but he still delivered food.
"For almost two years, he supplied me with 500 loaves of bread and fresh milk every week for four local schools, which was fantastic. Stephen and his family are very selfless people, they have got lots of empathy and they are so genuine.
"We enjoy working in partnership to help struggling families- together, we are stronger. And the pressure is on us, big time, to keep going, because we are doing more and more emergency parcels every week."
To find out more about End Result Community Group, follow them on Facebook here.
To find out more about Barty's Community Pantry and Food Bank, follow them on Facebook here.
