A man who was airlifted to hospital after an accident on Deal seafront has been the inspiration for a school fundraiser.

Paul Henderson, 63, a governor at The Downs CEP School, suffered severe head injuries after he was involved in a collision with a cyclist in Beach Street, outside the Royal Hotel, in April last year.

The Kent Air Ambulance arrived on Deal beach within 18 minutes and transported him to King’s College Hospital in London in less than 45 minutes.

He had broken ribs and bruises to the brain. The cyclist, believed to be in his late 30s, was not injured.

The governor is a frequent and popular visitor to the primary school, and the pupils were greatly saddened by the news of his injuries.

Mr Henderson, a lay minister, has now made a full recovery and the assistance given by the air ambulance has not been forgotten.

In December, The Downs School choir took part in a fundraising concert for The Friends of Dover Castle.

The choir was presented with a £50 donation from The Friends and decided to donate it to Kent Air Ambulance to thank the charity for helping to save their much-loved friend “Hendy”.

They were able to add another £25 to the total with a further donation from Walmer Baptist Church after an Education Sunday service.

Members of the school choir joined Mr Henderson last week to hand over a cheque for £75 to David Fagg, a representative from the Kent Air Ambulance.

Mr Fagg was thrilled to receive the donation. He said: “We are always grateful to receive this type of donation, especially from the children in the community.”

Music teacher at The Downs School Anna Gaches said: “The children were keen to find something that had a personal connection for them. ‘Hendy’ has been a big supporter of the choir and attends many of our events.

“Without the intervention of the air ambulance that day, the outcome could have been very different.

“It seemed an obvious choice for our donation.”

Mr Henderson said: “I shall always be indebted to this wonderful organisation for what they did for me.”