A Carlisle veteran who was told he would never walk again is set to begin an 1,000-mile charity trek this weekend.
Mark Harding was shot through the neck while serving in Afghanistan in 2010. Parts of his spine were shattered and he was paralysed from the neck down.
Despite being told he would never walk again, he has regained movement and began fundraising in 2012.
On Saturday, he will start his walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End in support of Scotty’s Little Soldiers, the charity for bereaved military children.
Mark said: “I’ve just been raising as much money as I can and giving back to charities that do so much for the military community. I attended the Scotty’s Ball a few years ago with a friend, and I’ve wanted to do something for Scotty’s ever since. The work the charity does is brilliant. Seeing everything they do for bereaved military children – it’s a real wake up call.”
In 2021, Mark was named ITV’s Pride of Britain Regional Fundraiser of the Year.
He added: “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.
“I’m pretty much ready now and raring to get stuck in. I’m looking forward to all of it. People always ask things like how I deal with bad weather, but there is no bad weather. I enjoy it if it’s sunny, I enjoy it if it’s pouring. We’re blessed in the UK to have an amazing countryside and I love exploring it.”
Mark will commemorate King Charles III’s coronation by carrying a flag of the King for the duration of the challenge.
Mark added: “I’ve got a notebook full of stuff that I would like to do and I’m always having new ideas. Being disabled, I think a lot of people write you off, especially if it’s an obvious disability, like if you’re missing a limb or in a wheelchair. I don’t mean that in a bad way – it comes from a decent place – but I think you’re seen as a bit more fragile.
“But a lot of the people I served with who were also injured have gone on to do really amazing things. That military mindset doesn’t just leave you because you’re disabled. I still exist in that headspace.”
Mark attributes this mindset to part of the reason he was able to regain more function after being shot than any of his doctors anticipated.
He added: “I don’t really think about what I’ve done – I’m always focussed on what’s next. That was instilled into me when I was in rehabilitation. For instance, once I had got out the wheelchair and walked with crutches a couple of times, I was straight on to learning how to walk without them.
“The faster I progressed, the faster I could go home and see my family. It’s just like when you go back to the army, you have a set drill where you go through your weapons training, and as soon as you’ve got it you move on to the next thing. There’s no need to go back again.
“I constantly want to keep on progressing and pushing myself. I think I’ve always been this way. When I was in the army, I always wanted to be as good as I could. Even when the doctors told me I was paralysed, I was focussed on keeping the ball rolling, keeping my momentum going, because that’s how I improve.”
To donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bigmilesforlittlesmiles
