A soldier who was told he would never walk again has succeeded in his bid to row across the English Channel.
Major Phil Packer, 36, arrived in Calais at 1500 GMT, almost a year to the day after he was injured in a rocket attack in Basra. He left Folkestone at midnight on Friday with adventurer Alastair Humphreys and completed the 30 mile (48km) feat in 15 hours. Speaking after his arrival he said “I’m really happy, just very, very happy.” He said he had been left “knackered” after the crossing. El Capitan It was the first in a series of challenges Maj Packer, who lives in Westminster, is taking on to raise £1m for the Help for Heroes charity, which supports those who have been wounded in Britain’s current conflicts.
He now plans to complete the London Marathon in two weeks on crutches, and also climb El Capitan, a 3,000ft rock formation in the US.