Eddie Kidd honoured for charity work

Former daredevil stunt rider Eddie Kidd has notched up another high as he was named today on the Honours List to be awarded an OBE.

Eddie, who lives in Sussex, was left wheelchair-bound after a devastating bike crash in 1996, holds several world records for his audacious motorcycle jumps.

But he managed to walk down the aisle for his wedding in 2010, complete the London Marathon last year and is set to carry the Olympic torch next month.

In the Queen's Birthday Honours, he is recognised for services to charitable giving.

The 52-year-old shot to fame in the eighties as a stunt performer and body double for Hollywood stars including Harrison Ford and Michael Douglas.

He suffered spinal and neurological injuries in a crash at the 1996 Bulldog Bash in Warwickshire which left him partially paralysed, with severely restricted co-ordination and speech.

Some 14 years later, Eddie, from Peacehaven, was helped out of his wheelchair to tie the knot with former model and actress Samantha Kirli.

Last year he crossed the London Marathon finish line nearly two months after setting out - walking up to a mile a day for charity.

He raised more than £100,000 for Children with Leukaemia and the Eddie Kidd Foundation, an organisation which supports the treatment and rehabilitation of stunt performers and professional extreme sportsmen.

He is set to carry the Olympic torch through Lewes, on July 17.