Wrexham veteran to feature in ITV series about ‘inspirational personalities’ in Wales

A veteran from Wrexham will feature in a new ITV documentary this week about inspirational personalities in Wales.

Shaun Stocker was seriously injured at just 19-years-old when when he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan back in 2010.

He became a double above knee amputee and was blinded. Over the years he has endured around 50 operations and has regained some sight in one eye.

The series on ITV, which will air on Thursday, also features the prosthetics team at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

The staff at the hospital’s PAMS (Posture and Mobility Service) centre look after the maintenance of Shaun’s prosthetic legs and they also made and maintain his prosthetic eye which is hand painted and finished with painstaking attention to detail by orbital prosthetist Clare Allen-Bull.

The staff working with Shaun, Prosthesis team leader Katie Davis and Senior Prosthetist Rachel Malcolm, connect to Shaun’s legs via Bluetooth and can make the small adjustments necessary to make sure he is comfortable and can use his prosthetic legs as he needs to and remain active.

Shaun regularly takes part in challenges and lives life to the full. Last year, he and a group of veterans undertook a gruelling 1,000 mile expedition across Western Australia to mark the start of the Invictus Games, the international adaptive, multi-sport event for injured or sick ex-servicemen and women created by Prince Harry.

Prosthesis team leader Katie Davies said, “It was fantastic to take part in the filming for Welsh Lives with Shaun. He is such an inspirational character and it is a privilege for the team to help him achieve all the amazing things that he does.

“He has been through so much on his journey to get better and he really shows what can be achieved against the odds.

“We make adjustments to Shaun’s legs to make sure he is comfortable moving across all sorts of different terrain.

“Genuinely, we forget sometimes that Shaun’s an amputee because we have got to know him and the person is the most important part of the care we give.”

Welsh Lives is broadcast on ITV Cymru Wales on Thursdays at 8.30pm, starting on Thursday 28th March. The programme will also be available online and as a podcast.

Pictures: ITV Wales