AN INSPIRATIONAL former Army corporal who competed at the Invictus Games has been presented with his latest award.

Dan Phillips, from Seaford, competed at the 2018 games for injured and disabled ex-servicemen in Sydney.

He was presented with an award by former Seaford Town Mayor Councillor Linda Wallraven for his work with charity Help For Heroes and in the community.

The father of three served in the 2nd Battalion of the Mercia Regiment, where he saw active duty in Cyprus, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

While serving in Afghanistan, Dan suffered an injury to his spine, and in 2016 he was medically discharged from the Armed Forces.

But since then he has embarked on his recovery, and competed in events at the Invictus Games including archery, powerlifting, and hand-cycling.

Most remarkably he won a silver medal for indoor rowing, while his five-year-old son Harry got to meet and shake hands with Prince Harry.

Dan, 36, grew up in Seaford, and said he has been determined to inspire others with his success.

He said: “I had a fantastic childhood exploring the town, from snorkelling, kayaking and rock pooling on the beautiful beach to enjoying the incredible views on the South Downs and Seven Sisters Cliffs and playing soldiers down in Friston forest.

“When I grew up I became a soldier, went off to war and then came home injured. It was time for me to hang up my combat boots and settle down and I could not dream of a better place to raise a family.”

Along with his wife Sarah, 37, he was presented with a personal achievement award for inspiring the local community by Councillor Wallraven.

She said: “He is a great inspiration to us all on how you can still achieve when the odds are against you.”

Dan said: “It’s a proud addition on my shelf near my Invictus medal. Help For Heroes has played a huge part in my recovery from helping me into an adapted bungalow in the town I love, to igniting a spark in me that I thought completely lost after my injury.

“Through that I have been trying to help inspire people into living life to its fullest by taking talks at local social groups, charities and schools.

“It’s amazing to see the look of awe in the children’s eyes and then hearing the incredible positive feedback from teachers telling me about how excited and inspired the children were, especially disabled children who didn’t think it was possible to be active in sports and I’ve shown them that they truly can.”