A THIRSK 4x4 specialist has helped a veteran Help for Heroes patron find his dream machine.

Sgt Mark Sutcliffe MBE, has found a means to represent his days in service and reignite his long-standing passion for military vehicles by investing in his own Lightweight Land Rover.

Mark had been searching for the right Lightweight for many years and, with the help of Thirsk-based John Brown 4x4, has been able to welcome the perfect classic vehicle into his life.

Mark joined the 2nd Battalion of The Royal Anglican Regiment known as ‘the poachers’ in 1996.

Aged 17, his passion for driving military Land Rovers was sparked through commandeering a wide variety of military vehicles during his early career as a soldier.

Mark has served in multiple conflicts around the world including Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, and Iraq, where he sadly lost his leg in 2006 coming into contact with a rocket-propelled grenade.

The blood loss and severe trauma of the injury meant that Mark was lucky to be alive.

He was awarded an MBE in 2012 for effectively transforming the level and quality of care offered to those injured in service and their loved ones.

He left the Army 2013 and is a founding patron and ambassador of ‘Help for Heroes’.