The friends of a Bristol man left paralysed after a road accident are raising £75,000 to get him back behind the wheel of a car again for the first time in some 14 years.

Bristol City fan Mike Dring was 23 years old and on his way to the newsagent before going to Cheltenham races when tragedy struck on March 12, 1996.

Travelling across Siston Common, his car struck a patch of ice sending his vehicle careering off the road and into a ditch resulting in paralysis from the upper chest down.

Twelve months of rehabilitation followed along with a string of suicidal thoughts as Mr Dring battled to deal with the loss of the use of his legs and, to a great extent, his arms.

But his girlfriend Stefanie, who was 20 at the time of his crash, stuck by him and they married in 2002.

Now Mr Dring, who live in Mangotsfield, has immersed himself in the urban art world.

With his wife he set up a website to promote and give wider exposure to the work of local artists and spends his time going to events with the aid of others.

Meanwhile, friends Paul Caines, Damian Whittard and David Coales have organised events as part of their Get Dring Mobile campaign to raise £75,000 for a state-of-the-art car.

The modified vehicle will allow Mr Dring to drive by using his wheelchair controls giving him the independence to go where he wants without having to rely on others.

"Of course, I am anxious about it but they brought a vehicle for me to try and Stef has a picture of me behind the wheel with a huge grin," Mr Dring, now 37, said.

"Being behind that wheel was very surreal but also very liberating. It will be nerve-racking but the positives will far outweigh the negatives."

His positivity is a far cry from that fateful day in 1996 – an experience he remembers all too well.

"I had gone to get a paper because we were all going to the races at Cheltenham," he said.

"I remember losing control and going down over the bank.

"The car ended up on its roof with me trapped inside and I could not work out why I wasn't attempting to get out. I just thought my legs must be trapped somehow.

"I could hear the sirens coming and the paramedics insisted on me being cut out. I went to Frenchay and had an MRI scan. They said if I felt claustrophobic to press a buzzer but I could not move my arms to press it but it still didn't register.

"It didn't really sink in until I went to the spinal injuries unit in Salisbury. The consultant told me I would not walk again and would be confined to a wheelchair.

"Dark times followed and because I was there for 12 months I became very institutionalised and when I came out I barely left the house for another four years after that. My brother spoke to Stef and said nobody would think any less of her if she wanted to leave, but she stayed and we got married in 2002.

"She was absolutely amazing. She is a diamond and has been my rock. If it wasn't for her I would not be in such a positive position now."

Mrs Dring said: "I remember it well because we had a tiff the night beforehand and I had rung him to clear the air.

"His mum said he had gone to get a paper but had been a long time and there had been an accident. She phoned me a couple of hours after to say it was Mike and I rushed to Bristol Frenchay in a panic.

"I was told he was in a car crash and could not feel his legs. We had been together for the best part of four years by then and I don't think I ever considered walking away.

"I am not saying it hasn't been tough but whereas he never left the house he is now out all the time, which is wonderful. What people are doing is very humbling but also scary because of what happened to him the last time he was in a car.

"The support people we know and don't know have given is absolutely amazing and the car will be the last piece of the jigsaw for Mike because he will be able to go out whenever he feels like it."

Mr Caines, Mr Whittard and Mr Coales have enlisted the help of other friends and family, including Mike's parents Viv and John, and are spending 12 months fundraising for the cash.

Mr Whittard, 37, from Wick, said: "I have known Michael since he was 11 years old. I went to the hospital the day after it happened and he told me he wished he was dead. It probably took him 10 years to deal with it.

"Seeing how difficult it is for him day-to-day is very hard and I admire what he has achieved so I wanted to do something.

"I got in touch with Paul and we got the wheels rolling. So far we have done a skydive and a golf day and David ran the Boston Marathon to raise money. We have plenty of other events planned.

"Mike has found an activity he loves with his urban art and we want to be able to give him the opportunity to drive that forward."

The next event is the Get Dring Mobile art auction of local work at the Paintworks, Bath Road, Bristol on October 14 and 15. The doors will be open from 11am.

A raffle to win a portrait painted by Vincent Brown, a multi-award winning portrait and figurative artist from Bristol, will also be held at the fundraising event.