Meet our Members

Owen Pick

Owen Pick was 18 when his leg was blown off by an IED in Afghanistan. Now he has his sights set a medal at the 2018 Winter Paralympics.

"I can’t thank Blesma enough for taking me on that first ski trip and for supporting me along the way."

Read Owen's story

Nerys Pearce

Nerys Pearce has to be one of Blesma’s most active Members but that certainly wasn’t always the case.

After being paralysed when a car reversed in front of her motorbike, the former Combat Paramedic initially found her disability extremely tough to deal with. But after realising that she “could stay like that for 50 years and do absolutely nothing, or I could look at my old life, which I loved, and get it back”, she threw herself back into sport and began by taking part in Blesma’s Soldier Ride.

Read Nerys's story

Vincent Horton

Royal Marines Commando Vincent Horton was bombed, shot at, shelled and captured (twice!) during WWII.

"The Germans started to shell me, so I switched routes – and that’s when I was blown up by a landmine and lost both my legs. I don’t remember much about it, although I do vividly recall that I thought I was going to die."

Read Vincent's story

Steve McNeice

Army Veteran Steve McNeice was was struck by a life-threatening bacterial infection after service.

"I was in hospital for 17 months. I lost both legs above the knee as well as the muscles in my right arm. I lost my fingertips and a little finger."

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John Booth

John Booth survived having both legs amputated with a saw when he was a Prisoner Of War.

"One of doctors was taking legs away like ninepins. There was no anaesthetic, no medical stuff at all."

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Rosemarie Heggie

Rosemarie Heggie became a Blesma Member after an air raid collapsed her house & caused her leg to be amputated.

"When I reached the sitting room again, I sat on the sofa and, suddenly, I leapt to my feet and the whole house erupted and I was buried under the debris. I was unable to move in any direction and my right leg was lodged on top of the hot coals from the fire."

Read Rosemarie's story

Mark Ormrod

Mark Ormrod was four months into the tour of duty in Afghanistan when on Christmas Eve, he stepped on an IED landmine.

"The Blesma Support Officer told me that Blesma would help me get going again. He explained all the things they could do to help me and said that I’d be skiing or white-water rafting within a year if I wanted to. It didn’t really seem possible at that moment but I knew it was a turning point."

Read Mark's story

Darren Swift

Darren Swift was injured by an IRA bomb in May 1991 while serving with the Army’s Dog Unit in Belfast.

"I was working with the Army Dog Unit and was feeding my dog when two members of the IRA threw a coffee jar bomb at me. It instantly killed my colleague and good mate, Geordie. I was blown to the floor."

Read Darren's story

Martin Hewitt

Martin's right arm was paralysed when he was shot in Afghanistan. Now he's aiming to complete the Explorers’ Grand Slam, a challenge that involves summiting the highest peak on each continent.

"I had two life-saving operations in Camp Bastion. I was in a pretty bad place for a while before getting involved in the adventurous stuff, which really helped my rehabilitation."

Read Martin's story

Philip Bailey

Army veteran Philip Bailey almost died when he contracted a rare flesh-eating bug at the age of 67. He survived, but only after losing both his legs above the knee.

"The doctors think I got the bug from scraping my shins outside. It kills you if you don’t catch it, and the only remedy, unfortunately, is amputation."

Read Philip's Story

Lionel O'Connor

Lionel O’Connor lost his left leg above the knee in an attack on his vehicle in Iraq in 2006, which resulted in two of his comrades being killed.

“I was in a Land Rover on a routine patrol when, all of a sudden, there was a big cloud of dust and sparks. I fell backwards – it was like I was in a tumble dryer – and everything went silent."

Read Lionel's story

Roy Hayward

On the 6th of June 1944- D-Day- Roy Hayward landed on the beaches of Normandy. Days later, both of his legs had to be amputated.

“I’ve always had the feeling that Blesma was behind me and would make sure that I got whatever I was entitled to”

Read Roy's Story

Jamie Hull

The horrific third-degree burns that Jamie Hull suffered over 60 per cent of his body in an aircraft fire almost cost him his life. The doctors gave him a five per cent chance of survival and, as he admits, it took an “epic journey and an inordinate amount of grit, determination, and willpower” to pull through.

Fran Townend

When Fran Towsend was hit by a car transporter in 2013 she broke almost every bone in her body. At first she wasn't expected to live, then she wasn't expected to walk. Now she's a GB athlete.

Read Fran's story