Gliding helps injured gunner to recovery

A PLYMOUTH-BASED soldier whose leg was blown off by a Taliban landmine in Afghanistan has found a new lease of life after taking to the skies.

Gunner Mark Stonelake, of 29 Commando Regiment, was catapulted 1,000 feet into the air in a glider as part of the Ministry of Defence's Battle Back programme, which aims to help seriously injured servicemen.

The 24-year-old is currently being treated at Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre, near Epsom, Surrey, for the horrific injuries he suffered in the roadside bomb attack in December.

But thanks to Battle Back and one of the Army Gliding Association's Shleicher K21 gliders, Gunner Stonelake's recovery regime has been given a huge boost.

After soaring in wide circles, he was already talking about taking up gliding as a hobby and learning acrobatics.

"I found myself with a stupid grin on my face when we took off," he said. "Then we caught the thermal and it was a real buzz being so high with no engine to rely on.

"It's really good fun stuff, a really good day out.

"It breaks up the routine of rehab and has given me something completely different to concentrate on, so it's speeding up the recovery process."

The experience took place at the same airfield on Salisbury Plain where one of the Battle of Britain's most decorated heroes, Sir Douglas Bader, had to retrain to fly for the Royal Air Force with two artificial legs at the beginning of the Second World War.

Sixty years later and Gunner Stonelake was enthused with the same fighting spirit which has renewed his determination to get back to his regiment, based at the Royal Citadel in Plymouth.

"It's not going to be easy, but I'm now set on getting back to 29 Commando Regiment with the lads," he said.

The Battle Back programme aims to provide the same opportunities to seriously injured personnel as those available to able-bodied servicemen and women. There are a variety of sports available, including sub-aqua, canoeing, skiing, shooting and basketball.

Although it is not a charity, Battle Back has strong links with the major service charities, working particularly closely with Help for Heroes.

Major Martin Colclough, who runs the programme, said it was a vital helping hand for wounded servicemen.

"Flying is superb for rehabilitation and the quicker we can get them flying solo the better, because psychologically there is a sense of real independence.

"This is an essential and useful first step towards that."

Before they took off, the soldiers were told that the sky was the limit for them as far as gliding went. Major Allan Tribe of the Wyvern Gliding Club, the largest club in the Army Gliding Association, said: "If you have a touch of the Douglas Bader in your veins, you could go solo after a week."