Veteran thanks hospital for Invictus Games success

A veteran who competed in the Invictus Games has presented hospital staff with his kit to thank them for helping him realise his long-held dream.

Rob Shenton, who served in the British Army for 25 years, fractured his neck and skull when he fell off his bike while training in August 2020.

The 52-year-old, from Biddulph, Staffordshire, was treated at Royal Stoke University Hospital and staff guided him through an eight-month rehabilitation programme.

Less than five years after his accident, Mr Shenton was selected to represent Team UK in the Invictus Games, competing in Nordic Skiing and indoor rowing at the 2025 event in Canada.

Four months after the contest, he returned to the hospital during Armed Forces Week and presented staff with a display case containing the kit he competed in.

Mr Shenton said he would not have been able to take part in the event – a dream of his since leaving the army - without the help of the "incredible" people who treated him.

"I really wanted to make the donation to say thank you for all the work they have done because they quite literally saved my life," he said.

"Having been in the rehab gyms at Royal Stoke, and being at that low point having the collar on my neck and almost learning how to walk again, I thought this [the display] might inspire somebody to keep going."

Mr Shenton served in Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan before he was medically discharged from the army due to suffering with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

He first applied to be on Team UK in the in 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney but he was rejected.

Mr Shenton had two more unsuccessful applications before he was finally chosen for the 2025 competition, following his accident.

He came 19th in Nordic Skiing and achieved a personal best in the indoor rowing during February's event.

Michelle Parkinson, a senior therapy technical instructor who was involved in Mr Shenton's care, said seeing his progress made her job "all the better".

"You come to work every day wanting this sort of thing to happen but often never see the end of the journey," she said. "To see how well Rob is [doing] is so rewarding."

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.