Cardiff dad-of-four paralysed after horror crash

A Cardiff man has been left paralysed following a devastating crash at a motocross event in Gloucestershire. Nathan Adams, 35, has been left with no feeling from the chest down and has been undergoing rehabilitation for months since the horror incident. Nathan said he was taking part in a club event at the track in Gloucestershire on September 28, 2025, when a fellow rider lost control of their motorcycle and crashed into him from behind. On-site medics and the air ambulance rushed to the scene, but Nathan had suffered severe damage to his spinal cord which has resulted in paralysis from his chest down. More than eight months on from the incident, he is still working through his rehabilitation at Llandough Hospital. His treatment includes learning how to transfer independently between his wheelchair and bed. Nathan's injuries have dramatically changed his life and the lives of his family, including his four children; Leila, Taliyah, Valencia and Asia. As they have tried to adjust to their new reality, the family have faced significant costs to make their home accessible and better suited to Nathan's needs. Seeing the struggle Nathan and his family were going through, relative Joe Granville, 34, also from Cardiff , set about finding a way to raise as much money for the family as he could. In order to help to fund vital adaptations to the Adams' family home, specialist wheelchair equipment, rehabilitation and potential stem cell treatments for Nathan, Joe came up with the idea of running the Stockholm marathon with no shoes or socks on. “He’s taken it like an absolute champ, but it is hard,” Joe said of Nathan, who he called an inspiration. “He’s ready to leave hospital now, but when you’re in a wheelchair you have to completely rearrange your entire life around it.” Nathan requires extensive adaptations to his home, including a ramp, bathroom and kitchen alterations, as well as specialist wheelchair equipment to help him navigate everyday obstacles. When Joe first told Nathan about his plan to run a marathon barefoot, Nathan's reaction was one of disbelief. “He laughed. It’s just the stupidest thing to do, really,” Joe recalled. “But loads of people run a marathon. I thought I’d go the extra mile and make some noise about it." Joe has so far raised around £2,700. You can see how much it has raised and donate here . Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here Joe described the challenge as “the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life”. Speaking after crossing the finish line, he said it was far tougher than he had anticipated. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, to be honest with you," he reflected. "It was really horrible. I hated every second of it.” Joe had previously completed a marathon and spent 21 weeks training for the challenge. While he felt physically prepared for the distance, he said the pain of running barefoot was like nothing else. “I had the legs. I had it in the bag, but it was just the feet. The feet were just in so much pain," he added. The marathon took place in warm, sunny conditions, with temperatures around 20C, but he said the course surfaces made the run particularly difficult. He first came up with the idea in October and spent months preparing, and he chose Stockholm partly because the later marathon date gave him more time to train barefoot through the spring as training barefoot in the winter would have been very difficult. Joe said the challenge was inspired by Nathan's determination. He said Nathan had coped remarkably well despite the life-changing circumstances. As he battled through the race, Joe said messages from home helped keep him moving when the pain became overwhelming. The father-of-two said Nathan had been allowed out of hospital for the day and spent time with Joe’s family while tracking his progress around the course. “My kids and his kids were all hanging out together and tracking me on the app,” he said. “They were sending me voice notes while I was running to spur me on and get me through it. "The last 10 or 12 kilometres were really tough, so listening to those messages was lush. It had me crying while I was running. Mainly from the pain, I’d say, but I was feeling very emotional as well. "The first 10K wasn’t too bad and I thought: ‘This is kind of doable.' Then something just switched and it became so painful. I was just super determined to get it done. I’m quite stubborn, so I knew I was going to finish it.” Get Cardiff news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here . We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions, and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice