A DISABLED veteran who is travelling around the country raising money for various military charities, has had his charity bucket stolen in Gloucestershire.
Mark Newton, 51, has taken on the task of photographing thousands of unrecorded war memorials and military graves on his mobility scooter and trailer, and has collected more than £72,000 for charity along the way.
In May he visited the Cotswolds, and was camped for some time in Tesco Extra car park in Cirencester before heading to Tetbury.
However, whilst at a Tesco in Gloucester this week his bucket was stolen from the front of his scooter, with thieves getting away with £40 or £50.
Mark said the supermarket has CCTV and he has reported the theft to the police.
A former tank crew member for the 1st Queen’s Dragoons, Mark, originally from Swansea, dislocated his knee, rupturing ligaments and nerves, whilst on active service with the UN in Cyprus in 1991.
He also caught septicaemia and his injuries eventually forced him out of military service.
Having taken up a new career as a computer programmer, Mark’s condition deteriorated over the years and in 2009 his leg was amputated.
He then found himself in a mobility scooter – paid for through the generosity of his old regiment and the British Legion.
Four-and-a-half years ago he decided to take to the road with his two cats to photograph memorials for the Imperial War Museum and raise money for charity.
As well as chronicling memorials, he has collected more than £71,000 in donations for the Royal British Legion, the SSAFA, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Help for Heroes and his regiment.
Travelling in his Beamer Tramper TWS, made by a company in Wiltshire, Mark has uploaded more than 30,000 photographs to his blog and won a Guinness world record for the longest distance travelled on a scooter.
Mark estimates he has photographed at least 6,000 memorials, including unrecorded ones, as well as 20,000 war graves – and now travelled 28,413 miles over 1,544 days.
Despite the recent setback, Mark was very complimentary of Cotswold residents, having raised £1,100 in just a couple of weeks travelling in and around Cirencester and Tetbury.
“I’ve got to be honest, Cirencester and Tetbury residents were extremely generous,” he said.
Visit roundwales.co.uk for more and to donate.
For more on Mark see:
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