FROM dog bowls to woks and tea boxes, a keen musician who was nearly paralysed after a horrific motorbike accident has decided to give something back by performing gigs with his homemade guitars.

Kev Pattison, of Winston, in Teesdale, has played music since he was a child but said he never had the confidence to do it full time.

Instead the former gas pipe fitter followed his dreams of becoming a self employed motorbike mechanic in 2009 and thoroughly enjoyed rides out with his friends.

However the 54-year-old had a brush with death in January 2014 when he came off his bike on a rural road and was catapulted onto rocks.

He broke three vertebrae, four ribs and his sternum during the accident and was saved by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance which flew him to James Cook university hospital in Middlesbrough where doctors told him he had narrowly escaped spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

He spent three weeks in hospital and 16 weeks in a body harness with doctors even having to shave off his beloved beard.

"There were four of us out near Whitby and we were on some tracks when I came over a hill and there was a big ditch in front of me so it was one of those decision to come off the bike or go with it," he said. "It was like being hit by a sledgehammer but my helmet saved my skull.

"I'm just getting back to fitness now and I still have pain but I just get on with it."

Mr Pattison has never returned to his bikes but found in the months he was confined to his house recovering, that music helped him.

"My mother had bought me a guitar made by a joiner rather than a musician for my 50th birthday and it was nice to look at but didn't play very well so I started toying with the idea of building my own but I did not have the confidence," he said.

"I built three from boxes and then I had my accident and every day I would just go into the back bedroom where I kept the guitars and just pick one up.

"At first I could not pick one up but I just kept building up my strength."

Mr Pattison was encouraged to play his first gig in Barnard Castle nearly a year later and said his enthusiasm just "snowballed from there".

And it was not long before Mr Pattison started finding inspiration for his instruments from ordinary objects around his home.

He has since built six guitars using everything from a dogs bowl to woks, spoons and even dominoes and said he finds the instruments suit his blues style voice.

"The last one took about about four months to make," he said. "I've used everything from pan lids to dog bowls and tea boxes. I even have one called the wokonater which is made out of two woks joined together."

He added: "People ask me about them especially the dog bowl one- they are quite amazed."

Now, along with friend and fellow musician, Rich Levett, Mr Pattison is set to perform in aid of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to thank them for saving his life.

The duo, who perform as the band, Box of Frogs, will be performing at Winston Village Hall tomorrow night (Saturday) from 7pm.

"The air ambulance is fantastic and worth every penny," he said. "I wanted to do something for them."

Mr Pattison will also be auctioning off the very first guitar he made on the night.

Tickets cost £10, including supper.

For tickets call Mr Pattison on 01325-730292 or 07969102328.