Prime Minister praises courage of disabled veteran who completed 60-mile bike ride at care home

Boris Johnson has praised the “remarkable courage” of an Iraq veteran left severely disabled at the age of 19 by a bomb blast, who recently completed a 60-mile ride on a static bike at his care home.

Stephen Vause has been named as the winner of the Soldiering On Awards ‘Inspiration’ category in recognition of his charity fundraising.

The 34-year-old who lives at Royal Star & Garter care home in Surbiton, raised over £5,000 for Help for Heroes by doing the virtual London to Brighton cycle ride from his care home room during lockdown.

His achievement was praised by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who said: “Stephen has shown remarkable courage in dealing with his injuries and great fortitude in raising money for armed forces charities. I take my metaphorical hat off to him for his latest fund raising exploit. I am full of admiration for him.”

Stephen who is wheelchair bound and uses a tablet to help him communicate, was nominated for the Soldiering On Award by Royal Star & Garter which cares for veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia.

The Soldiering On Awards recognise the achievements of those who have served their country, and the people and groups who work together in support of the Armed Forces community.

Stephen Vause’s Help for Heroes fundraising bike ride began on Christmas Eve 2020, and he was backed by celebrities including Lord Sugar and Jeremy Vine. The final moments of his exploits on 1 February were captured on film by Royal Star & Garter staff and shared by Lorraine Kelly on her ITV breakfast show. Stephen also encouraged others to raise money with him using #do60withSteve.

Stephen was just 19 and on his first tour of Iraq, serving with the 4th Battalion The Rifles, when a mortar explosion near Basra left him fighting for his life in 2007. Speaking after he finished his London to Brighton fundraiser, Stephen said: “Help for Heroes have helped me a great deal and I wanted to do something for them.”

In 2018, when his sister raised money for Royal Star & Garter by participating in the Tough Mudder challenge, he supported her by undertaking his own challenges, including lifting weights, sit-ups and hand-eye coordination tasks. And he introduced the sport of Boccia to the Surbiton Home, which he often plays with other residents.

Other finalists in the Inspiration category were Margo Hetherington MBE, Mark Ormrod MBE and Martin Hewitt. Stephen said: “I’m stunned. I want to thank everyone who voted for me, but I also want to share this award with the other finalists. They all deserved to win.”

'He is an absolute hero'

Royal Star & Garter works closely with Help for Heroes, which funded a bespoke wheelchair and specialist gym equipment to support Stephen’s care. Carol Betteridge head of Clinical & Medical Services at Help for Heroes, said: “Huge congratulations to Steve for winning such a highly fought category where all the finalists are absolute inspirations.

“Steve fights every day to manage his physical injuries so his fundraising challenge for us was a major undertaking, and he did it with such determination and humour. He shows us all the great things you can achieve when you put your mind to it. He is an absolute hero.”

He has been living with Royal Star & Garter since 2015, where he receives round-the-clock specialist care.

All finalists and winners will be celebrated at a black-tie gala reception and dinner in central London in December.

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