Councillor Mike Clarke is proud to nominate BLESMA as one of his chosen charities.

Early on in his service as a Guardsman, at the age of just 17, Mike suffered a life-changing injury and subsequently lost his left leg.

Undeterred by this, he continued serving in the Coldstream Guards for a further 23 years and then 26 years in retail property management.

Mike has never allowed his disability to deter him from such activities as skiing, skydiving, archery, golf, and cricket, where he was a member of the Guards Cricket Club.

Assisted through pioneering prosthetics and steely determination, Mike has travelled extensively during his lifetime both as a serviceman and for pleasure.

As a result of his injury and vast knowledge of disability and the effects this can have, not just physically but also to mental health, Mike has been a great supporter of BLESMA – British Limbless Ex-Servicemen`s Association – and is proud to nominate them as one of his charities for his civic year.

He has seen first-hand the positive impact of BLESMA in supporting former servicemen and women who have lost the use of a limb, eye, or their sight.

He is also supporting The Salvation Army Sleaford Corps, after also seeing the wonderful work, they do within the community.

BLESMA - The Limbless Veterans, is dedicated to assisting serving and ex-Service men and women who have suffered life-changing limb loss or the loss of use of a limb, an eye or loss of sight. We support these men and women in their communities throughout the UK and overseas.

We work tirelessly for our Members when the conflicts that have affected their lives are no longer a focal point in the nation’s media. Since 1932, we have been the only national Service charity that supports limbless veterans for the duration of their lives. Our Members range from the youngest amputee veterans to those who fought in WWII, some having lived with limb loss for more than half a century. Modern medicine transforms the physical injury, but it is a complicated process to treat the emotional trauma and related lifelong health problems.

Blesma, provides a network where Members not only enjoy support from our professional Welfare Team, but where they have the opportunity to engage with others who have similar injuries and backgrounds to themselves, building an important fellowship with each other to overcome everyday battles.