Michael Bayley: Man who lost leg in Sheffield crash says near-death experience made him count his 'blessings'

Michael Bayley had to have his right leg amputated after being hit by a van driver on Machon Bank Road in Nether Edge earlier this year.

But just four months after the collision on May 17, the selfless 85-year-old is preparing to stage his first art exhibition, which he hopes will raise vital funds for those less fortunate than him.

The retired priest will be selling his wood carvings, paintings and drawings to raise money for the charity ASSIST, which supports asylum seekers whose initial applications are unsuccessful and who are often left homeless, destitute and vulnerable.

Michael, who lives in Nether Edge and used to work at St Mary’s Church on Bramall Lane, will never forget the day of the crash and feels forever indebted to the strangers he believes helped save his life by using a belt as a makeshift tourniquet to stem the bleeding.

“The first thing I remember of it was being suddenly aware as I was crossing the road of this van alongside me and then my going under it,” he said.

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“I was lying in the road for quite a long time until the ambulance arrived but some strangers applied some rapid first aid, for which I’m extremely grateful. That could have saved my life.

“Once the ambulance came, they gave me a painkiller and I came round later that evening having had an operation and discovered my right leg had been amputated.”

Michael spent the next fortnight in hospital and still requires a wheelchair to get around, though he is undergoing physiotherapy and hopes to soon be able to walk on his new prosthetic leg.

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Despite what Michael has been through, he says he never once thought of cancelling the exhibition, which was initially planned for May 2020 but had to be postponed due to Covid.

If anything, he says the crash made him even more determined to go ahead with the show and help other people in greater need.

“Almost my first thought, after being glad to find myself still alive, was that I still hoped to hold the exhibition as planned,” he said.

“I don’t remember the pain. I just remember being frightfully cross that it had happened because it was very inconvenient.

“Obviously I was already inspired by the work of ASSIST, which is why we decided to donate the proceeds of the exhibition to them.

“However, after my accident, not only was I aware of the many things I could not do but I also became aware of the many blessings I have which many asylum seekers do not. I am a UK citizen and do not have to fear expulsion from the country.”

He added: “There is no question about my right to receive the splendid services of the NHS. I have a secure house of my own and do not have to worry about where I'm going to sleep tonight. I have enough food and money and do not have to worry about that. These are all things which a failed asylum seeker cannot take granted.

“All this makes me want the exhibition to succeed even more so that I can make a useful contribution to making life better for asylum seekers in Sheffield.”

Michael, who will be exhibiting his own work alongside the photography of Kevin Bonnett, says that as well as raising vital money they want to give visitors ‘hope’ during an age of ‘anxiety and uncertainty’ when it is needed more than ever.

The exhibition, titled Hope, Art, Sanctuary, will take place at Highfield Trinity Church, on Highfield Place, Sheffield S2 4UR from Thursday, October 6 to Saturday, October 8.

On the Thursday and Friday, it will be open from 11am-5pm, and on Saturday, it will be open from 11am until the exhibition culminates in an auction of carvings at 6.30pm, followed by a party.