Brave Ben leads way with MBE in Queen’s Honours
Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson with his mum Diane Dernie at home in Bessacarr.
WAR hero Ben Parkinson is the Pride of Doncaster once more having been awarded the Military MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours.
Lance Bombardier Parkinson of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the most severely disabled soldier to survive his injuries, will collect his military MBE next year to cap an incredible catalogue of achievements.
The 28-year-old, from Bessacarr, lost both legs to a Taliban landmine - but took part in the Olympic Torch relay this summer and featured in the Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day.
Ben, who lives with his mother and stepfather Diane and Andrew Dernie, was told by doctors he would never walk again after the blast in Afghanistan in 2006.
His determination to prove them wrong, and the work he does for service charities, has been an inspiration to thousands across the UK.
Others honoured in the Queen’s list include Helen Kirk, secretary of Thorne and Hatfield Moors Conservation Forum, who receives the BEM for services to conservation, and Doncaster Rovers co-owner Terry Bramall, who has been awarded a CBE for philanthropy having established a charitable trust, with a gross donation of £96m.
•See this week’s Free Press for all the reaction.
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Weather for Thorne
Monday 20 May 2013
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