Sportsman veteran 'humbled' to launch Market Drayton poppy appeal

Shrewsbury man Mikey Hall, who was in the Royal Mercian & Lancastrian Yeomanry and served in the Falklands and Bosnia, was paralysed from the chest down in a training accident in 2000 but thanks to his fierce determination went on to become a successful archer.

He competed in the Paralympics in Brazil in 2016 as well as the first ever Invictus Games.

He was recently laid low again by illness, only recently getting out of hospital and returning to a solid diet.

This weekend he will help the Market Drayton branch of the Royal British Legion launch their poppy appeal outside the town's library in Cheshire Street.

At 11am on Saturday he will be joined by a fighting vehicle from the Royal Yeomanry and members of the RBL Riders, who support the Royal British Legion with motorcycle rallies.

Together they will kick off this year's fundraising efforts in the town, which has a long military connection with the nearby base at Tern Hill.

The poppy appeal raised £25,265 last year, and £21,446 the year before that.

Mikey's story

The money raised each year goes to support armed forces personnel throughout their lives. The charity helped Mikey and his family during his recent long stay in hospital.

Mick Hughes of the Market Drayton and District Royal British Legion spoke about Mikey's journey from being a soldier to competing in archery, following his accident in August 2000.

He said: "On a regimental exercise at Catterick with the Queens Dragoon Guards, he was competing in a march and shoot competition, he was carrying 22kg in his Bergen plus the troop radio also full webbing and personal weapon.

"Whilst on a rope bridge, he got stuck, fell off and it was found that he had broken his neck and has been paralysed from the chest down.

"Mikey underwent various operations and was treated at the world famous Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital at Oswestry for many months, and he has been confined to a wheelchair ever since.

"Mikey took up archery in 2004, in 2013 he hand biked from Edinburgh to London for charity. In September 2014, he competed in the first Invictus Games where he won a Gold and Bronze medal.

"In 2016 he was selected by the Olympic Committee and competed in the Paralympics in Rio di Janeiro, Brazil where he came seventh out of the 32 world competitors.

"In May 2017, Mikey was training at Lilleshall, he became ill and was admitted into the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital where he underwent various operations.

"He was placed in an induced coma for 13 days, his stay in this hospital was for eight months. Then, in February 2018 he was transferred to a specialised unit at Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester.

"After 15 months he finally underwent a 10 hour operation which was successful and after a further three months in hospital Mikey was finally discharged and allowed to go home after being in hospital for a period of just over two years.

"Also he is now eating solid foods for the first time in two years.

Family support

"Mikey’s parents are both in their late 70s and not in the best of health themselves. During the eight months that Mikey was in The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, they made a return journey of 50 miles at least four times a week for a period of eight months.

"During his stay in Salford Royal Hospital they have made the return journey of over 140 miles at least once a week for nearly eighteen months.

"During all of this time his local RBL branch, Market Drayton, have ensured his parents' travelling costs and out of pocket expenses have all been covered by the local branch requesting and ensuring he received grants from his two regimental associations.

"He also received regular visits by his local branch welfare officer, during his two year stay in both Shrewsbury and Manchester hospitals.

"The Royal British Legion are now assisting Mikey with grants to help pay towards work that is required to his home, such as ramps for access, widening of doors and to tarmac his gravelled driveway.

"Mikey is now recuperating at home and hoping to start back training in archery, in the hope of making the GB team once more.

"Mikey is due to go back into hospital in early 2020. This is to have a reversal operation on his bowel."

He said that Mikey was "proud and humbled" to have been asked to launch the poppy appeal this weekend.