A FORMER soldier travelling more than 11,000 miles around Britain on his mobility scooter to raise money for military charities spent time at Help for Heroes Recovery Centre Tedworth House.

Mark Newton, 48, of Swansea, previously served with the 1st The Queens Dragoon Guards and was on duty with the United Nations in Cyprus when he injured his knee in 1991.

He plans to travel all over Britain on his mobility scooter, which only reaches a top speed of 8mph. The scooter pulls along a trailer which he sleeps in every night.

He plans to photograph and document Commonwealth war graves, war memorials, lifeboat graves and memorials, of which there are more than 350,000 in the UK.

His trek has so far raised more than £40,000 for military charities.

He said: “Being able to spend time here, amongst the wounded members of our armed forces has been inspirational and has reinforced to me why I took on this incredible challenge to begin with. It has given me extra motivation and impetus to keep going.

“The blokes here are one of a kind. They have seen some of the worst things imaginable and have terrible injuries but they remain so positive and it is an honour to be raising money for Help for Heroes.”

For more information go to aroundbritain.org.uk.