All-amputee Channel Swim team nominated for People’s Choice Award
10 February 2016
Four military veterans, with four legs between them, have been nominated for the People’s Choice Award at the 2016 Soldiering On Awards to recognise their outstanding achievement.
The award, which is sponsored by the Sunday Express, was launched by the paper in January. The winner will be decided by a public vote with the result being announced at The Soldiering On Awards ceremony on Friday 22 April in central London.
The four military veterans swam completed the swim in 12 hours and 14 minutes back in September 2014 – the first British all-amputee team to do so. They also raised around £4,000 for Blesma in the process.
Steve White, Jamie Gillespie, Conrad Thorpe and Craig Howorth as a relay in what were far from ideal conditions. They adhered to the Official Channel Swimming Association (CSA) rules which include not wearing wetsuits in water temperatures that average at 18°C for September. They did not wear their prosthetic legs out of choice.
Blesma’s Chief Executive Barry Le Grys said: “Conrad, Craig, Jamie and Steve battled a rough sea, seasickness and dehydration, shipping lanes, severe cold and all the challenges of limb loss to be the first all-amputee team to swim the English Channel. Their comradeship, endurance and inspiration to others suffering loss of limb makes their nomination for the People’s Choice Award greatly deserved. Please vote with us.”
To vote for the team, go to www.express.co.uk/news/uk/632984/Soldiering-On-Awards-2016-Perople-s-choice-awards-nominees-channel-swimmers-blesma The vote closes on 08 April.
Blesma, The Limbless Veterans is the national charity for all limbless service men and women, their widows and dependants. It was formed in the years following the First World War and became a national charity in 1932.
-ENDS-
Notes to Editor
Hi-res images can be downloaded from the links below:
Team L-R Conrad Thorpe, Steve White, Craig Howorth, Jamie Gillespie: https://blesma.org/media/190161/00034MTSStill001-1.jpg
About the team:
Craig Howorth: Craig is a right leg below-the-knee amputee after losing his leg in a road traffic accident in 2006. Craig had previously served as a submariner in the Royal Navy from 1988 to 1993. He currently lives in Bacup, Lancashire.
Jamie Gillespie: Jamie was serving as a Sapper with the Royal Engineers when he was involved in a road traffic accident and lost his left leg below the knee in 1994. He was discharged from the Army in 1995 and has since retrained as a prosthetist. He works for Pace Rehabilitation and is living in Watford.
Stephen White: Stephen was serving as a Rifleman with The Royal Green Jackets when a cruciate knee injury led to him losing his left leg above the knee. Stephen was discharged from the Army in 1987 and has since become a Chief Executive. He currently lives in Newport, Essex.
Conrad Thorpe: Conrad was born and grew up in East Africa and represented Kenya at the Commonwealth Games in 1982. He served in the Royal Marines for 21 years, during which time he was selected for the Special Boat Service and served all over the world with them, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. Conrad damaged his ankle while running which eventually led to an elective amputation in 2011. Jamie is his prosthetist - which is also how he joined the team. Conrad is now the Chief Executive of one of Africa’s leading risk management and security companies.
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