Real life hero inspires primary school children
When the pupils at Scampton Church of England Primary School met a real-life hero recently, they had lots of questions for him – including how far his prosthetic legs went up!
Tom Folwell, who is an Ambassador for veterans’ charity Help for Heroes, was invited to speak to the children, as part of their Mini London Marathon day. Pupils, from age 4 to 11, spent the afternoon completing laps of the school grounds, to raise funds to support ex-service men and women, and have already raised over £1,300. Some of the older pupils completed 14 laps in total.
Tom said: “It was lovely to meet them all – and they had some really interesting questions, particularly in relation to the technology that makes my legs work. I also took my Invictus Games medals along with me, to help inspire them before they set off on their own Mini London Marathon challenge.”
Tom, who is 40 and lives in Horncastle, was blown up in 2012, while on foot-patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He lost both his legs, the left leg through the knee and the right leg above the knee, and the tops of his fingers on his left-hand. Since his injury, Tom has also developed sleep apnoea, which affects his wellbeing. Through Help for Heroes, he’s developed a love of wheelchair rugby and has captained the GB team at the Invictus Games.
Charlie Hebborn, who is the headteacher said: “It was a great day. A number of our pupils have family members who are in the military, so I think Help for Heroes is really relevant to our community. Tom started the race off for us and we also had Hero Bear as a guest, giving everyone a high-five as they set off.”
If you would like to support the school in their fundraising challenge go to: https://www.justgiving.com/page/charlie-hebborn-2
Help for Heroes champions the Armed Forces community and helps people live well after service. The Charity supports veterans and their families with their physical and mental health, as well as welfare and social needs. It has already supported tens of thousands - and won’t stop until every veteran gets the support they deserve.
The Charity supports veterans and their families from any branch of the UK military, regulars and reserves, irrespective of length or place of service, and locally embedded civilians who worked under the command of UK Armed Forces.
To get support visit helpforheroes.org.uk or call 0300 303 9888