THE poignant image of an East Lancashire war hero badly injured in Afghanistan is up for a major gong tonight.

A photograph of Ribble Valley soldier Rick Clement, snapped by rock star turned photographer Bryan Adams, has been shortlisted in the Magazine Cover of the Year category at the PPA Awards 2015 after being picked for the cover of Big Issue late last year.

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Sgt Clement, who lost both legs when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) in Helmand in 2010, posed for a photoshoot for the Canadian singer and was featured in the singer’s Wounded: The Legacy of War exhibit in London.

Sgt Clement, a former Clitheroe Royal Grammar School pupil who used to live in Chatburn, travelled to London ahead of the awards ceremony, which is being held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, Mayfair.

He said: “This photograph means the world to me. I think The Big Issue cover speaks to anyone that has lost someone in the armed forces, or has been affected in their own way.

“The photo was taken in 2013. I went down to Bryan Adams’ house in London. He or one of his team saw something about my story in the news and he asked them to get in touch with me.

“He was brilliant, really down to earth and easy to get along with. He made sure I was comfortable.”

The image was tweeted by astronaut Chris Hadfield, who rocketed to global fame after tweeting his experience of life on the International Space Station.

Speaking to his 1.7 million followers, he wrote: “A compelling photo by @bryanadams. Honour the brave among us. Wear a poppy. Thank a veteran.”

Mr Adams said: “The human cost of conflict is a narrative which, like many of us, feels personal to me. My grandfathers and father were in the British Army.”

For more information, visit www.bigissue.com.