Carlisle veteran to trek from John O'Groats to Land's End after being told he'd never walk again

£1000 has already been raised for the charity before Mark begins his long journey. Credit: Mark Harding

A Carlisle veteran who was was told he would never walk again is about to start a thousand mile hike.

Mark Harding was shot through the neck in Afghanistan in 2010 when serving with the British Army. He was paralysed from the chest down.

He was told that he would be unable to walk again but regained movement and began fundraising in 2012.

On Saturday 13 May, he will begin walking from John O'Groats to Land's End with the aim of raising a million for Scotty's Little Soldiers.

The charity supports children and who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. 

Mark said: “As a result of nerve damage from being shot through the neck, I can’t have children now. For me, this is a way of helping everyone else’s kids. It’s a way for me to have a really positive impact on children’s lives.

“Due to my injury, I have no feeling in my right leg and my foot drags when I’m tired, so I’ll be doing a lot of the walk on crutches with everything I need for the journey in a rucksack. It’s going to be a long one – between three or four months in total.

In 2021, Mark was named ITV Border’s Pride of Britain Regional Fundraiser of the Year.

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