JUST over six months ago Caldicot’s Ricky Bailey was in a coma and fighting for his life after suffering from a brain haemorrhage.

But now the determined teenager, who had to learn how to walk again following the incident, is not letting anything get in his way as he prepares to complete a charity bike ride to thank the hospital which helped him in his recovery.

And the aspiring police officer will be joined by PC Mark Waters and Sergeant Phil Williams of Gwent Police, who are based in Caldicot, when he takes on the challenge in August.

Mr Bailey, 18, of Wentwood View, was in a coma for two weeks from November to December 2013, after suffering a brain haemorrhage after he says he was attacked in the town.

The incident on November 2 saw him hospitalised after smacking his head. When he returned home he started fitting in his sleep.

He said: "I was taken by ambulance to the University Hospital of Wales, they said I had bleeding on the brain so they induced a coma.

"I missed so much college because I was in the hospital I had to drop out. I wasn't with it to be honest, I had to learn to walk again, climbing the stairs was hard for me -my mum had to stand behind me when I went upstairs.

"My speech wasn't good when I first came out of the coma. I played on a footballer team, I'm not as good as I used to be."

But now Mr Bailey has organised the charity bike ride from Caldicot to Newport to raise money for the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

He said: "I wanted to help the hospital out after they've helped me. To help other people."

Mr Bailey is still on medication seven months after the November attack which helps to prevent fitting and to reduce spasticity.

He said: "I'm fine now but because of the medication I sleep a lot of the day. I will need to be on the medication for the next year and the doctors want see how it goes after that. It’s a two year recovery time."

A Gwent police spokeswoman said that following the incident in November a police investigation was undertaken and as a result of advice from the crown prosecution service, no further action was taken.