A CHARITY that uses sport to help sick or injured veterans and their families is in the running for a national award.

Sporting Force, based in Newton Aycliffe, has made the shortlist for a prize at the Soldiering on Awards 2018 which puts them on a platform with some of the UK’s biggest charities.

Founder Tommy Lowther, from Butterknowle, said: “These are massive awards nationwide, to find out we’re in the final is amazing for us.

“There are nominations from Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales and with a lot of military organisations based in the south it really puts Sporting Force and the North-East on the map.

“The awards are well recognised throughout the military third sector so even having finalist against our name is good and we will get help from the Soldiering on Foundation to support our work.”

Mr Lowther, a former 1st Battalion Light Infantry private who was medically discharged in 2001 with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, set up Sporting Force to help wounded, injured and sick service men and women in 2014.

The charity secures work experience within the professional sports industry for ex-service personnel to offer a possible route into civilian employment.

And it runs education, exercise and social events to support mental wellbeing and tackle social isolation.

To date, the charity has helped 500 wounded and sick veterans and more than 200 partners and children and given out 200 tickets to sporting events in just the last three months.

In recognition of making it to the final, the charity has been invited to send representatives – Mr Lowther and operations manager Jacqui Nicholson – to an event at the House of Lords.

The awards ceremony, which will recognise the achievements of those who have served and the people and groups that support the Armed Forces community, will be held in London in April.

Mr Lowther said: “It is fantastic to be a finalist first and foremost, we’ve got our fingers crossed that we can come back winners.

“The awards will be an incredible opportunity to network, to make contact with other organisations that could help us reach out to more veterans and their loved ones which is a big part of what we do.”

To find out more about the charity visit its website at sportingforce.org or call 0800-0509502.