Whitnash man battles back from illness to raise funds for the Encephalitis Society

James Pratt fell ill with encephalitis - a swelling of the brain caused when a virus attacks it - in 2002. The disease can leave people disabled and epileptic, but after a year of recuperation Mr Pratt made an almost full recovery.

Since then he and his friends Steven Myers and David Belcher have raised £6,000 for the Encephalitis Society, which funds research and raises awareness of the disease.

Mr Pratt, 33, said: “I do the fundraising because there are people who have suffered far worse than me. I managed to get away without suffering epilepsy, which a lot of people suffer from.”

The former Myton School pupil fell ill in 2002. Working long hours in a stressful job and going out with friends, he began feeling more run down than usual.

He did not know, but a strain of herpes simplex - the common cold virus - had penetrated a membrane separating his circulatory system and his brain.

Mr Pratt said: “I knew I wasn’t right. I was having some little seizures and a week later dropped down with a grand mal fit at work.”

Fortunately his mother, a nurse, knew what to do. Mr Pratt was taken to hospital and put on an antiviral drip for three weeks. Recovery took far longer and will never be complete.

He said: “It was a year-long process before I really got back on my feet and regained some normality, but it’s affected my memory and ability to think on my feet.”

One of the things he values most is a rest weekend organised by the Encephalitis Society in the Brecon Beacons. There he met people who could no longer work, or were left severely disabled.

Mr Pratt decided to raise money for the charity with events such as pub quizzes and karaoke at the Plough and Harrow pub. In 2009 Steven Myers cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise funds and last year he, Mr Myers and his friend David Belcher raised £1,800 to go trekking in the Transylvanian Alps.

Mr Myers is planning a further expedition in a few years’ time, but for now is happy to thank everyone who has helped.

He added: “I need to thank my lucky stars. I was dealt a bad hand but it could have been a lot worse.”