Amputee Army Veteran walks 457 laps in honour of our fallen Afghan heroes and to help raise money for the children they left behind
Former Royal Welsh Fusilier, Steve Owen, from Cardigan in West Wales, is set to tackle his most gruelling challenge yet – walking 457 laps of a 400-metre running track to pay tribute to the 457 serving personnel who sacrificed their lives in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021*.
As well as dedicating his walk to our fallen heroes, Steve, who lost his left leg in 2016 due to injuries sustained while on tour in Afghanistan in 2010, will also be raising money for two charities close to his heart, bereaved Forces children’s charity, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, and veteran’s charity, Woody’s Lodge.
Steve’s challenge, which takes place on Saturday 6th November at Carmarthen Running Track, is expected to take him a total of 42 hours. Each lap of the track will be named after one of the 457 fallen Afghan heroes, some of whom Steve had the honour of serving alongside, and he will carry a print out of their name with him as he completes each lap.
Steve, who served in the Army for eight years, decided upon this challenge to tie in with Remembrance Day, but also in response to the recent withdrawal from Afghanistan. He said: “There’s been a lot of talk in the media about Afghanistan recently with many people questioning whether soldiers died for nothing. But that’s not the case, we did make a difference. I served in Afghanistan alongside these men and women, and we should remember them. I lost a lot of mates during and after the conflict, so it means a lot to me that this challenge has meaning.”
As a father of three young boys, Steve (32) wanted his challenge to also help raise vital funds for bereaved Armed Forces children and young people.
Scotty’s Little Soldiers is one of the charities Steve has chosen to benefit from his fundraising efforts. It’s a charity Steve knows well, and he understands what an important role it plays within the Forces community.
He said: “A lot of the men and women who sacrificed their lives have children and will not get the opportunity to see them grow up, so for me, raising money to help support those children was a priority. I know a lot about the great work Scotty’s does so choosing to raise money for them made sense.
“I have kids and I know only too well that after serving in Afghanistan they could have been left without a dad and knowing that a charity, like Scotty’s, is there to help them as they grow up offers a great amount of comfort.”
Scotty’s Little Soldiers was set up in 2010 by war widow Nikki Scott. The charity offers integral support to children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the Armed Forces.
Nikki saw the devastating impact the death of her husband, Corporal Lee Scott, in 2009 had on their two young children and wanted to help others in the same situation.
The charity is currently providing assistance to hundreds of bereaved Forces children and young people around the UK and services offered include guidance to parents and carers, access to professional child bereavement support, personal education and learning assistance (including grants) and fun activities such as holiday respite breaks and group events. These are all designed to remind the children and young people supported by Scotty’s that they are not alone.
Nikki said: “This is such an incredible achievement from Steve, what a challenge, and I’m honoured that he’s picked Scotty’s as one of his chosen charities. My husband died while serving in Afghanistan, so I know the sacrifices our serving men and women made during that period. It’s an honour for them to be remembered in this way. Our members have all gone through so much and the recent issues in Afghanistan have been difficult for many of them to deal with. Thanks so much to Steve for helping us on our mission to ensure no bereaved Forces child or young person feels alone."
All money raised through Steve’s challenge will be split equally between Scotty’s and Woody’s Lodge.
