Wolverhampton NHS Trust worker from Telford competing in Invictus Games

Kelly Leonard, the NHS Trust's clinical lead for children's therapy service, will be Team UK's vice-captain at the Games which start today and run until Friday April 22.

The 44-year-old from Telford will travel by bus and the Eurostar to The Hague in The Netherlands, where she will join the 61-strong UK team of wounded, injured, and sick military personnel and veterans.

The mother of three, whose husband Andy is an Afghanistan veteran who works for the RAF, will compete in wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball, swimming, cycling, and rowing during the Games.

In total, 350 people will compete in nine sports at the Invictus Games, which were founded by the Duke of Sussex in 2014.

While Kelly's eligibility for the games is not clear from a first glance, she almost lost her left foot in a horrific motorbike accident in July 2000.

Although her limb was re-attached, she lost the talus (lower ankle joint) and so does not have a workable ankle joint.

This means she walks with a limp and suffers with arthritis, sometimes needing a crutch, while prospects indicate she might still have to have the foot amputated.

Her injury forced her to be medically discharged from the RAF and she bravely started a new career in physiotherapy, graduating from the University of West England in 2006.

Still retaining a fierce desire to compete, Kelly was introduced to the Invictus Games concept by the 2018 Team UK captain Mark ‘Dot’ Perkins.

Kelly attended trials in May 2019 where she tried a variety of sports, her favourite one being wheelchair rugby.

“Wheelchair rugby used to be called ‘murderball’ and my first experience on the trails was a massive guy coming towards me in his chair, smashing into me and flipping me over,” Kelly said.

“My job is basically to smash into people and take them out of the game. It is so exhilarating – I love it.”

Kelly, who competed in various county sports and springboard diving for Wales as a youngster, has always held competitive sports as a major part of her life, but says her accident stopped her in her tracks.

She said: “I learnt to walk again and live the best I could within my limitations.

“I tried several different individual and team sports but failed to fill the void as I was never able to participate on a level playing field.

“I lost focus on sport; as a result my physical and mental recovery suffered. It left me with a loss of confidence and self-belief.”

Kelly, who was born in Aberdare, South Wales, and now lives in Ellerdine in Telford, found training for the Games enabled her to find sports she can really compete in, using abilities she didn’t think she still had.

She added: “I have found myself surrounded by people who do not judge but understand, talk and offer support.

“They have empowered me to achieve the best I can be. The UK trials was a turning point in my life. I am back competing again both individually and in a team.

“I’ve not only achieved my dreams of representing my country at the highest level – something I thought would never be a part of my life again – but it enabled me to break through the barriers of letting my injuries define my future.”

Kelly’s three sons have inherited her love of sport and her competitive nature. Ethan, 14, and Joe, 12, represent Shropshire at hockey and football respectively and Noah, seven, is already a promising hockey goalkeeper like Ethan. All three are also exceptional swimmers, play golf and are keen athletes.

“I want more. I have started to believe in myself and am proud to show my children, who have never seen me without disability, that with self-belief you can accomplish anything,” Kelly added.

“You just have to say ‘yes’ to things because if you don’t, life will pass you by.”