LAID in a hospital bed for two months after being injured in Afghanistan, Stuart Robinson turned to sport to aid his recovery.

The former RAF corporal was on a routine patrol near Camp Bastion in 2013 when his vehicle hit by a Taliban bomb.

He sustained horrific injuries and was lucky to survive but had both legs amputated.

A key factor in rebuilding his health was a love of sport and now he uses his story and passion for wheelchair rugby to inspire others to stay active and strive to be the best they can.

Today (Friday, February 12), he visited Witton-le-Wear Primary School near Bishop Auckland to put pupils through their paces with a fitness drill and talk to them as part of a Sports for School event.

He said: “After two months in a hospital bed I piled weight on and was pretty low, I needed motivation.

“I used to love sports so being able to do wheelchair rugby got me active and fit, it gave back some of the camaraderie of the Forces and an aim.”

The 33-year-old dad from Morecambe won gold with Great Britain in The Invictus Games, for wounded service personnel, and hopes to compete in the Paralympics in Rio this summer.

He said: “You should want to be the best you can be, I aim for the Paralympics and I hope to encourage children to try hard.

“If they take anything away from today I want them to realise that anyone can do sport.”

Acting head teacher Sharon Walker added: “We’ve learnt a lot about Stuart and I hope that pupils are inspired to get active and try sport and also see that with a bit of perseverance and determination anything is possible.

“The Sports for Schools initiative also involves fundraising, for the scheme and towards PE kit for our school.”