Ex-soldier Wayne Ingram made MBE for fundraising efforts

If left untreated Stefan Savic's cleft could have had serious health complications

A former soldier who helped a boy with a rare facial cleft has been made an MBE in the Queen's birthday honours list.

Wayne Ingram, from Weymouth, Dorset, raised £140,000 for four-year-old Stefan Savic, who he first met on Army patrol in Bosnia in 2003.

He was also commended for his charity work on several projects since.

Mr Ingram, who went on to become an ambulance paramedic, said he was "utterly overwhelmed" by the honour.

"Having served one's country all my adult life, this really is something meaningful and significant," he said.

He raised the funds needed to pay for a series of operations for Stefan.

Stefan Savic - pictured in October 2016 - made a full recovery

He made a full recovery, but if left untreated Stefan's cleft could have had serious health complications, including blindness and the restriction of his airway.

Mr Ingram's fundraising exploits also include a sponsored bike ride to build a new orphanage in Mauritania when he was working as a health and safety paramedic on a gold mine.

The former staff-sergeant has also raised money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, spending seven days on a life raft in Portland Harbour in 2015.

Wayne Ingram, who suffers from seasickness, spent a week on a life raft in Portland Harbour

Most recently he has been is working as an ambassador for a new military veterans' hub in Weymouth and volunteered as a helicopter medic during the pandemic.

He is currently being treated for an illness at Dorset County Hospital, and paid tribute to the "outstanding" care he had received from the staff.