War veteran who was told he'd never walk again passes through north west on epic trek

A war veteran who was told he would never walk again after being shot in Afghanistan is walking from John O'Groats to Lands End to raise money for a charity helping young people who've lost a parent through war.

Mark Harding set off from John O'Groats on 13 May, and is passing through Wigan on Saturday 1 July and Warrington on 2 July

He is doing the challenge alone, with no support vehicle, and carrying about a stones worth of kit on his back.

Mark is also getting ad hoc support along the way from family, former soldiers etc. and other people who have heard about the walk in places he passes through.

It's all to raise money for the Scotty's Little Soldiers charity, which supports children who've lost parents through war.

Granada Reports caught up with Mark as he walked through Wigan on Saturday 1 July.

He said: "All the way down, from Scotland to here it's been amazing. People stop and ask me about Scotty's, so I tell them all about it, which is great.

'I've been offered Mars bars, water, people beep their horns at me, the support is overwhelming really."

"As a result of 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.

Mark, who is from Carlisle, was shot in the neck while serving in Afghanistan in 2010, leaving him with devastating injuries.

He served with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment for 16 years, mostly as a sniper with the Reconnaissance platoon. His service included operational tours in Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2021 he was named Regional Fundraiser of the Year for the Cumbria region, where he is affectionately known as Carlise's Captain Tom.