DESPITE being paralysed from the neck down for six months, the vision of an inventor from Watford has become a reality.

It was during a recession nine years ago that Mr David Gawron, 62 , an engineer who lives in Bywaters in Watford, had an idea that would end up being the driving force and inspiration behind his recovery from an accident and would ultimately end up benefiting people in the Developing World.

He said: "During the last recession I was in employment but was looking for an opportunity. I did not like the idea of a recession and sitting there not doing anything.

"There were a lot of people out of work. The only way to make money in that situation is to think of something that people do not have, that does not exist, and provide them with it.

"I was driving along Baldwins Lane in Croxley and I saw some men mixing cement on top of a board. They had not got a cement mixer so obviously they were taking a short cut. I expect because they only had a small van, they would not have been able to carry a mixer with them."

It was this experience that led Mr Gawron to designing a simple, lightweight and portable cement mixer which does not require electricity to power it.

Mr Gawron said: "The original concept was to help people in the developing world where they would not have electricity but would need cement.

"There is also a version for the DIY market so people could use it at home. Plus it is a garden sieve for sieving soil which allows you to sieve without bending over and straining your back."

It took about two years for Mr Gawron to complete the design and even more time to find a manufacturer. He found the British market reluctant to take a chance with his new product.

Then in January 2000, Mr Gawron fainted while he was at home. As he fell he hit his neck damaging his C4 vetebrate. Although the vertebrate was not severed, Mr Gawron was left paralysed from the neck down.

He was taken to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore where all he could was lie in bed staring at the ceiling.

He said: "I was not expected to walk or show any signs of movement for about five years.

"But I thought I am not having this. I kept forcing the issue. I started by moving my toe, then the next one and the next.

"Eventually, I could sit up in my bed on my own, then into a wheelchair and then using a frame."

But as well as concentrating on walking again, Mr Gawron did not give up on his cement mixer.

He said: "At first, all I could do was lie there staring at the ceiling. I had to find an answer or I would have gone stark raving mad.

"I decided to concentrate on selling on finding a way of finishing the project. The staff at the hospital kindly agreed to help me.

"They did not need to, but they dialled numbers on the phone for me, wrote things down and held the phone to my ear while I called people to negotiate and sell my product."

Six months later Mr Gawron walked out of the hospital. Since his accident, Mr Gawron has teamed up with Parry Associates a West Midlands company that have agreed to manufacture his cement mixer.

A quantity of mixers have been made and are already in use in Africa helping people in the building of schools and hospitals.

Mr Gawron said: "Now we are just waiting for Parry to agree a deal with a leading DIY outlet here who will agree to stock it."

To buy a mixer costs £60 and it is a bag on a lightweight frame which is turned round manually. The bag and frame separate and fold up so the whole product can be put away and is small enough to be transported in a car boot.

It can be used to mix cement, animal feed or liquids.

Mr Gawron said he could not have got this far without his family.

He said: "I could not have done this alone. While I was in hospital my wife had to keep the house and everything going and my children had to support her."

To find out more about Mr Gawron's cement mixer, telephone 01923 251199.

July 5, 2002 15:30