The Manx community are being urged to come together to help renovate a home so it can accommodate a teenager who suffered severe head injuries in a car crash in early 2022.

It comes after the family of 19-year-old Lockie Kirk received planning permission to extend their home so they can bring him back to the island 21 months after the serious incident.

In January 2022, Lockie was driving to meet his friends on the Switchback Road when his car crashed into a tree.

The accident left him with severe head trauma, brain damage, a complete loss of sight in his left eye and a puncture wound in his right eye.

He was airlifted to Aintree Hospital in Liverpool for treatment, before being transferred to Walton Centre.

In April 2022, doctors diagnosed Lockie as being in a vegetative state however, he has since defied all medical expectations to regain consciousness.

Lockie is currently receiving care in a rehabilitation unit in Liverpool where he has spent the last nine months.

His health has continued to improve during his recovery, allowing him to return to the island to stay on several occasions in recent months.

And there could soon be a permanent end to travelling to and from the island for Lockie and his family if plans to bring him back to the Isle of Man by the summer come to fruition.

Lockie’s family are currently trying to transform their family home in Knocksharry, on the outskirts of Peel in preparation for his big move.

The family - which includes Lockie’s parents, Lauren and Dan, and siblings Harrison, Doona, Loghlin (Lockie) and Torin - hope to build an extension on the property so that Lockie can live close to them and receive the care that he needs.

Dubbed ‘Ballalockie’, the small Manx cottage isn’t ideal for a 6’5” teenager in a wheelchair, therefore work to ensure it is suitable for Lockie’s return are vital.

A similar call for help was made in October last year and the family say a ‘considerable number of volunteers came forward’ as a result of the appeal.

However, a delay in obtaining planning permission for the project put the scheme on hold.

Now the planning issue has been resolved, Lockie’s family are hoping that island residents can once again come to their aid.

They say they ‘desperately’ need material suppliers to help with the first stage of the project’ and are appealing for kind donations of concrete, dense concrete blocks, Tubs mortar, lean concrete mix, Type 1 hardcore, damp proof membrane, sand, 100mm Kingspan and concrete for slabs.

The family have repeatedly reiterated their appreciation for all the support they have received so far and are grateful for all the generous donations given to an online fundraising page which was launched when news of Lockie’s crash spread.

That page has raised £35,890 since it was launched and has helped pay for travel costs, bills and other expenses while Lockie has been away from home.

Those looking to support the Kirk family are encouraged to get in touch by searching BallaLockie on Facebook or by donating to the fundraising page at www.gofundme.com/help-lockie-and-his-family