Ex-soldier from Wigton shot in neck walks length of Britain

Mark Harding took three months to walk 1,000 miles

An ex-soldier who was told he would never walk again after being shot in the neck has trekked the length of Britain.

Mark Harding from Wigton in Cumbria took three months to walk 1,000 miles from John O'Groats in Scotland to Land's End in Cornwall.

He said it was "overwhelming" and "monumental" after being seriously injured in 2010.

He has raised £18,000 for a charity that helps bereaved military children.

Mr Harding, 47, said he only had 8% power in one leg and 10% in the other, used crutches and was carrying camping equipment weighing a stone (6kg).

Mark Harding was greeted by various members of the military at Land's End

The ex-soldier, who was paralysed from the neck down in Afghanistan, said he had faced numerous challenges during his Big Miles For Little Smiles walk, not least being "knocked over" by a van in Carlisle.

"It's been monumental," he told BBC Radio Cumbria, adding he was the first disabled person to complete the route unsupported.

He walked by road and said the Scottish Highlands section was the toughest, adding he was "physically and mentally drained" by having to focus every day for so long.

Mark Harding has raised more than £18,000 for Scotty's Little Soldiers

But he said the pain was "nothing compared to the grief" of children and families who have lost loved ones in military service.

He has raised funds for Scotty's Little Soldiers and said the stories of people the charity helps had "put things into perspective" during his epic hike.

He was greeted at Land's End by various personnel from the different parts of the military and celebrated his arrival with a cooked breakfast.