When Ian Rooney was struck by a motorbike as he walked home along a road in Radcliffe, doctors feared he would never be able to walk again.

But almost ten years on, he has made an amazing recovery, thanks to a determined fitness regime.

The 46-year-old cannot remember much of what happened on the night he nearly lost his life - November 14, 1996. The accident occurred on Bury and Bolton Road, at the junction with Grindsbrook Road.

Ian lost all feeling and use in the left side of his body, suffered a punctured left lung and his left ear was almost ripped off. Later he suffered a stroke.

When police and paramedics arrived at the scene, Ian could not remember his name, address or why he was there.

He was taken to the intensive care unit at Bury General Hospital where medical staff didn't give Ian much chance of any kind of recovery, let alone being able to walk again.

Yet today, he works out for more than an hour and a half, three times a week, in the gym at the Excel Centre in Bolton, plus a couple more sessions at Withins leisure centre in Breightmet.

Ian, who lives in Breightmet, puts his recovery down to his belief in exercise.

He recalled: "I was a bit of a mess after the accident. I reckon the doctors didn't think I had much of a chance.

"I had worked all over Europe as a flagger - I was used to hard graft and the manual nature of my job meant I was fit."

Today he walks with a slight limp and, because of the stroke, suffers from short term memory loss.

Richard Hyland, an active health officer with the Active Health Referral Scheme, funded by East Bolton New Regeneration, has been working with Ian since he was referred to the eight-week programme by his practice nurse in July last year.

Richard said: "It is a credit to him how he has progressed. He comes three times a week and spends 40 minutes on the treadmill and rowing machine."

Ian added: "It has become part of my life and without the training I know I wouldn't be able to walk. Who knows where I'd be."