Maimed Chatburn war hero's charity now official (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Maimed Chatburn war hero's charity now official

8:52am Monday 8th October 2012 in News By Emma Cruces, Reporter

Rick Clement

AN East Lancashire soldier maimed in a bomb blast has seen his fundraising drive made into an official charity.

Sgt Rick Clement, of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, was severely injured by an explosive devise in Afghanistan in May 2010. He lost both legs and suffered internal injuries that left him unable to have children, and he set himself the challenge of raising £100,000 to help other injured servicemen and women.

Rick, from Chatburn, and his supporters have been fundraising for four army charities this year. However they were hampered because they did not have an official charity number of their own.

Rick’s charity, ‘A Soldiers Journey’, has now received the official paperwork from the Charity Commission.

He hopes to have between £30,000 and £40,000 raised by Christmas, with a major event in November to auction the Olympic torch he carried through Blackpool.

He said: “I just want to make sure that the hell I went through when I was injured is made easier for someone else.

“It’s really important that the best equipment and help is available for people who were in my situation. These things cost a lot of money and the money has to come from somewhere.”

During Rick’s recovery, he said he was helped through those dark times by his fiancee Leanne, who is now his wife. He says they received wonderful support from the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s Asso- ciation, the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen Families’ Association, ABF The Soldiers Charity, and Help for Heroes.

The website, which will now become the home of the official charity, covers details of numerous raffles, dinner nights and parachute jumps and will climax with Rick completing a swim in the ocean next to great white sharks.