Celebrities praise care home veteran as he completes 60 mile fundraising challenge

Celebrities including Lorraine Kelly, Lord Sugar and Jeremy Vine have all sent messages of support to a care home veteran who has completed a 60-mile cycling fundraiser for Help For Heroes.

Stephen Vause who is wheelchair-bound finished his virtual London to Brighton challenge earlier this week in his Royal Star & Garter care home in Surbiton.

Mr Vause started his challenge on Christmas Eve and has been cycling around three miles a day on a static bike in his room, with the support of care home staff, encouraging others to fundraise with him using #do60withSteve raising money for Help for Heroes.

During this time, Mr Vause received many inspirational messages from family, friends and celebrities including Lorraine Kelly, Lord Sugar and Jeremy Vine.

In a video message sent personally to Mr Vause, Help For Heroes patron Ms Kelly said: “It’s amazing and you’re doing this for Help For Heroes is absolutely fantastic. You are a total hero and I just want to thank you.”

In another video message, Lord Sugar praises the soldier by saying: “What you are doing is incredible. Not only is it a huge challenge but it is fantastic you are doing it to raise awareness for Help For Heroes.”

Meanwhile, Jeremy Vine took part in his very own #Do60WithSteve challenge by riding six miles on a Penny Farthing.

Mr Vause was just 19 and on his first tour in Iraq, serving with 4th Battalion Rifles, when he suffered brain injuries in a mortar explosion near Basra. This has left him severely disabled. Following rehabilitation, Stephen requested discharge from the Army in 2009. He has an Iraq Service medal.

To date, 33-year-old Mr Vause has raised over £4,100, surpassing his £1,500 target. He said: “Help for Heroes is a charity which is very important to me.

“My injuries from a mortar attack were so severe that my life was in imminent danger. I have spent much time working on my recovery and rehabilitation since then and will require a high level of support for the rest of my life.”

Help for Heroes (H4H) is a British charity which provides lifelong recovery support to service personnel who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty, and to their families. It was founded in 2007 by Bryn Parry and his wife Emma after they visited soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.

Mr Vause added: “Help for Heroes has helped me a great deal and I wanted to do something for them, knowing it would help other veterans, especially at this tough time. Whilst this bike ride is usually a one-day event, for me, it is a six-week challenge on my adapted static bike using my arms and legs alternately.”

Mr Vause has been living at the home in Surbiton since 2015, where he receives round-the-clock specialist care. He has one-to-one physiotherapy two to three times a week and is also helped and enabled by the charity to access a local hydrotherapy service.

Royal Star & Garter chief executive Andy Cole said: “Stephen is an inspiration to all of us and we feel very privileged that he chooses to live with us at Royal Star & Garter. He and his family have supported and raised money for us, and we’re proud to be supporting him as he fundraises for another excellent military charity.”

Royal Star & Garter was established in 1916 to care for the severely injured young men returning from the battlegrounds of the First World War. It has a close working relationship with Help for Heroes who also funded a bespoke wheelchair and specialist gym equipment to support Mr Vause’s care.

To sponsor Steve, please visit his fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/steveslondontobrightonchallenge

click here for more details or to contact Royal Star & Garter - Surbiton