A man left with severe brain injuries after he was mugged has spoken of his battle back to health.

Ex-soldier Scott McClements is throwing his support behind the charity which was key to his recovery after 14 pieces of skull lodged in his brain during the attack in East Street, Brighton, in October 2011.

The 48-year-old suffered a bleed on the brain, was unable to speak or swallow and had little movement in the right side of his body.

Mr McClements was treated at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and Hurstwood Park neurosciences centre in Haywards Heath before being discharged to the Queen Alexandra Hospital Home (QAHH) in Worthing.

The charity, which provides nursing and rehabilitation for disabled ex-servicemen and women, slowly nursed him back to health with four physiotherapy sessions a week.

Mr McClements served for nine years with the Parachute Regiment in Northern Ireland, Somalia and the Falklands.

Mr McClements, who was living in Portslade at the time of the incident, has no memory of the incident and plans to return to thank the staff who saved his life and helped him recover.

He was well enough to leave in January 2013 and went back to live with his mother in Ireland, where his rehabilitation has continued.

He said: “The QAHH gave me courage to continue with what life I thought I had left.

“I would like to say a big thank you to all the carers and trained nurses that looked after me.

“There are a few nurses I hold deeply in my heart for all they did for me, not to mention the physiotherapist and other therapists at the QAHH.

“The people of Sussex should make it a priority to donate anything they can to QAHH to keep going as long as we all may need it.

“It is a fantastic place for us all to be so proud of.”

The charity is celebrating its 95th anniversary this year and also commemorating the First World War centenary.

It is aiming to set a world record for the most tandem skydives over a three day period, starting on August 1.

To sign up, and for more details, call 01903 218444 or visit www.qahh.org.uk.