(from left to right) Capt Martin Hewitt, Antony Clark (Headmaster of Malvern College), Capt Guy Disney and Ed Parker
There was a standing ovation for the Walking With the Wounded team at the end of their presentation at the Cheltenham Literature Festival last weekend. The four wounded servicemen – two amputees, one with a paralysed arm and one with serious back injuries – made the trek to the North Pole in April and were accompanied by Prince Harry, their patron, who was able to spend four days with them on the ice. In all, the team covered 167 nautical miles on the floating icecap and went further than any team which had attempted to reach the North Pole this season.
Former Malvern College pupil Capt Guy Disney, one of the team whose right leg was amputated below the knee after serving in Afghanistan, together with Capt Martin Hewitt who lost the use of his right arm also in Afghanistan, and co-founder of Walking with the Wounded, Ed Parker, met presenter Ben Fogle to talk about their experiences.
The event at Cheltenham Literature Festival was supported by Malvern College. The charity Walking With the Wounded supports injured servicemen and their families by funding re-training and re-education for wounded servicemen and women, in order to assist them find long term, secure work outside the Armed Forces.
Ed Parker says, “Walking With the Wounded is not an expedition machine. It is a way of empowering those who have been injured in their service career to restore their confidence and, if they are not able to stay in the services, to enable them to find a new career. It is about getting the world to look at disability in a different way.”
To donate to Walking With the Wounded and support their next expedition to Everest, please visit www.walkingwiththewounded.org.uk
