\n The former corporal, a triple amputee, will perform the honour at St Helens\u2019 Betfred Challenge Cup match against Catalans Dragons, ahead of taking on the 2026 marathon later this month.\n<\/p>\n
\n Andy, who lives in Rainford, lost both legs and an arm while on patrol in Helmand Province in 2009.\n<\/p>\n
\n He has since become a motivational speaker and is now aiming to become the first-ever triple amputee to complete the London Marathon.\n<\/p>\n
\n Speaking about his latest fundraising challenge, Andy said: “I’m excited for it.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It’s an iconic event, and although it sounds like a lot, only around 70,000 people a year get to take part, so it’s a very small minority who get that opportunity.\n<\/p>\n
\n “An event like the London Marathon is definitely one you want on your bucket list, and to be doing it now as a disabled, injured veteran is a massive honour.”\n<\/p>\n
\n He will take on the marathon to raise funds for the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF) and his own charity, the Standing Tall Foundation (STF).\n<\/p>\n
\n Both organisations support veterans and the wider community through a range of services.\n<\/p>\n
\n The ABF supports soldiers, veterans, and their families nationwide.\n<\/p>\n
\n The STF offers help such as mental health counselling, addiction support, housing, and welfare services in St Helens.\n<\/p>\n
\n Andy welcomed the chance to deliver the match ball at the Challenge Cup quarter-final.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: “It’s amazing, the Saints and the town have supported my journey since the day I was injured.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I’ve delivered motivational talks for the Saints Women’s team and the First Team, so there’s a great relationship.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The club and the town have been such a huge part of my journey.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It’s a great honour to come to the BrewDog Stadium, see the fans and raise awareness for both the Foundation and the marathon challenge itself.”\n<\/p>\n
\n He also spoke about his intensive training in preparation for the London Marathon.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: “Training has been going well.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I’ve been doing laps around Ruskin Drive, so people might have seen me going round in circles, but I’ve also been walking along the Rainford Bypass and getting plenty of support from passing drivers.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The warmer weather adds a new challenge, especially with a prosthetic leg and limited ability to regulate heat, so that’s something I’ll need to adapt to.”\n<\/p>\n
\n To support Andy’s fundraiser, visit his fundraising page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The former corporal, a triple amputee, will perform the honour at St Helens\u2019 Betfred Challenge Cup match against…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":522690,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-522689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522689\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}