A CHADDESLEY Corbett DJ, whose body was mangled and broken in a horrific car crash, is inviting people to a reunion disco.

In 1987, Ray Parry was travelling back to his home after finishing his regular DJ spot at the Coach and Horses pub, when his Land Rover left Kidderminster Road.

Mr Parry, then aged 28, had lost control and his vehicle collided with a tree near Park Gate Farm.

It took fire brigade specialists two hours to cut him free of the wreckage and he received emergency roadside treatment from the flying doctor service.

“I was driving along when I hit black ice and had the accident,” Mr Parry said. “I nearly died. It was the will to live that kept me alive.”

He suffered serious multiple injuries and was taken to the then Kidderminster General Hospital, where he was in a deep coma for three weeks.

Surgeons at the hospital put the jigsaw pieces of his body back together, including his right leg, which had been shattered in three pieces, a shattered pelvis, where the top of his leg had been pushed through his stomach, damaged organs, a broken wrist and extensive scalp injuries.

A music tape by Simple Minds was played to the DJ, which helped bring him back round.

When he regained consciousness he started speaking in German - a language he had learned years before in the forces.

Mr Parry went on to make a full recovery and still lives at his Chaddesley Corbett home.

Over the years, to thank the doctors who saved his life, Mr Parry has raised more than £2,000 for the Flying Doctors service. He also had the chance to meet the lead singer of Simple Minds, Jim Kerr, to thank him for the part the band’s music played in his recovery.

Mr Parry has done part-time DJing since the accident, including sets around the world, but people kept asking him when he was going to do a reunion gig in Bromsgrove.

So, on Saturday, May 18, Mr Parry has organised a 1980s reunion disco. The 54-year-old said: “Many people met their partners at my DJ sets at the Coach and Horses.

“This is a comeback and will be a celebratory event.”

The ticket-only event is being held between 7.45pm and midnight at Millfields Social Club, in Millfield Road.

Tickets for the event cost £3 and are available from the social club.

For more details call 07968 376730.