Injured hero thrilled with his MBE for charity work

The mother of the most seriously injured soldier to have survived the war in Afghanistan said he was “absolutely thrilled” to have been made an MBE for his services to charity.

Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, from Doncaster, has continued to make a remarkable recovery after losing both legs and suffering back and brain injuries in a Taliban bomb blast in 2006.

Since then, the 27-year-old paratrooper has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for military charities including The Pilgrim Bandits, of which he is a patron.

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His mother, Diane Dernie, said
he was a bit shocked at first. “He couldn’t quite understand why he had got it.

“He is absolutely thrilled to bits, not just for him but for his charity and everyone in Doncaster.

“He has got so many supporters. It has been phenomenal. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing and he has had about 5,000 messages since it was announced.

“He is absolutely over the moon.”

Receiving the honour has been a huge morale boost for L/Bdr Parkinson, who has found it hard that he has been unable to progress in his Army career owing to his injuries while his comrades have been promoted above him.

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“A lot of his friends have all leapfrogged on top of him and they are Sergeants now,” said his mother.

“To see him get this, it’s redressing the balance somehow, so it’s fantastic for him. I’m so happy for him.”

The honour has capped off an incredible year for L/Bdr Parkinson, who was cheered on by thousands of wellwishers as he carried the Olympic Torch through his home town in June.

It took him 25 minutes to walk the 300 metres from Doncaster’s war memorial on his prosthetic legs in some of the some of the most moving and memorable scenes of the relay.

“It has been a fantastic year for him. He has done so much,” his mother said.

“It’s going to be a hard act to follow but he keeps saying next year is going to be even better.”