Our charity is thrilled that Mark Harding, Army veteran and military charity fundraising campaigner, has won the ‘Inspiration’ award at the 2023 Soldiering On Awards. The ceremony took place in the Park Plaza Hotel, Westminster on Wednesday 27th September.
Earlier this year, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity nominated Mark in recognition of his outstanding record as a fundraiser for military charities and his courage in overcoming the serious injuries he sustained during service with 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s regiment in Afghanistan. In 2010, Mark was shot in the neck, which severed his spinal cord and left him paralysed from the neck down; he is a quadriplegic and was told he was unlikely to walk again or live independently. However, through sheer grit and incredible determination, he learned to walk again using crutches.
Mark has raised thousands of pounds for ABF and other military and community charities, and undertaken several arduous walking challenges and expeditions. Most recently, he walked with crutches from John O’Groats to Lands End for our partner charity, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which supports bereaved military children.
Brigadier (Ret’d) Peter Monteith, Chief Operating Officer, ABF, said:
“The Army’s national charity is proud to call Mark a friend and winning such a prestigious award is fantastic news. Mark’s impressive record of achievement has been an inspiration for so many across the Army veteran community. We send Mark and his family our congratulations and best wishes.”
The Soldiering On Awards are organised each year by X-Forces Enterprise (XFE), a charity which ABF supports, to recognise the achievements of the Armed Forces community. Read more here.