A Hampshire music festival is set to benefit a young local father whose arms and legs were amputated to save his life after he contracted a devastating illness.

Alex Lewis, 34, from Stockbridge, thought he had just caught a cold. However, it turned out he had a case of the rare condition Strep A Toxic Shock Syndrome.

The father-of-one is now devoting much of his time to raising money to pay for artificial limbs so he can regain his mobility and independence. He is also raising funds through the Alex Lewis Trust for the hospitals which treated him.

Alex, who says he feels lucky to be alive, has said the NHS can’t provide him with the very best prosthetics that he feels would help him regain his mobility and independence. He believes new limbs will cost him one million pounds over his lifetime.

The Bridge Music Festival at Stockbridge is once again throwing its weight behind his cause.

Organisers of the Festival, which will take place from 1pm on July 4, will announce their full line-up at The Joiners in Southampton on Wednesday, April 1.

The evening is a headline gig and album launch party for local band Bel Esprit who are also appearing on the festival line-up.

The Trust fund is being used to help fund Alex’s rehabilitation, from wheelchairs, to home adjustments, prosthetics and their maintenance. Alex also hopes to assist the ward in Salisbury Hospital, where large amounts of his treatment were carried out, by helping to fund improvements in their facilities.

Alex will also be joining Bel Esprit on stage at The Joiners at some point in the evening to launch the charity event.

Alex lost all his limbs, nose and lips in late 2013 after a common cold mutated to Sepsis. It was a one-in-a- million piece of bad luck with a five per cent chance of survival.

The music festival is a major part of the fundraising plan for the Trust.

An all ages, family friendly event, the festival will combine the best music, food and drink from across the southern counties.

With a capacity for The Bridge Festival crowd as large as 7,500 there is huge potential to raise money through ticket sales.

A large headline act will be revealed on April 1 but confirmed so far is Pink Floyd tribute band Think Floyd; Banco De Gaia – previous Pyramid Headline act at Glastonbury Festival; Bel Esprit; Eyes for Gertrude; The Rising Break Cover – Voted Best Covers band in Salisbury 2014; The Mosquitoes – Rock & Pop covers; Off The Cuff – Rock & Pop covers; plus a full Pains Fireworks display at the end of the show Significant investment has been made by a number of local businesses including Icthus Group, Code 9 Services, Pains Fireworks to provide a fantastic light, sound and visual show.

In future Alex plans to form a charitable foundation to help others affected by this very rare condition.

In the meantime, the formation of a trust fund is the most suitable way to help raise funds to his own personal rehabilitation.

But once Alex is fully mobile and capable of managing his own charity, this is his intention.

For further information visit: https://www.facebook.com/thebridgemusicfestival?fref=ts and www.alex-lewis.co.uk.