Successful conference attracts hundreds

The power of resilience and determination was very clearly demonstrated at a successful event which brought more than 200 people to Shrewsbury from across the country.

Speakers, including a former Royal Marine who lost both legs and an arm in an horrific battlefield explosion, gave a series of inspirational talks at the Innovation After Injury conference at Theatre Severn.

The event was organised by Shropshire law firm Lanyon Bowdler and showcased the very latest developments in rehabilitation and treatment for people living with serious injuries, such as brain and spinal cord injury.

Opening the conference was Mark Ormrod MBE, who explained his journey as the UK’s first triple amputee from the Afghanistan conflict after being injured on Christmas Eve in 2007.

“I didn’t know what had happened at first,” he said. “There was so much dust, I couldn’t see anything. I thought we were under attack, and in my mind I wanted to turn around to check on the others.

“After about five times of saying to myself, turn around, I realised my body wasn’t doing what my brain was telling it to do. As the dust cloud disappeared I looked down to where my legs should have been and I could see that they weren’t there.

“It’s really strange. The human body is phenomenal at dealing with trauma. It just felt like a dream.

“It still can’t, to this day, explain how I could deal with it. I put it down to the human brain and mind being amazing, and I also put it down to the people who were with me. If they had done anything wrong, I wouldn’t be here today.”

In a detailed chat with host Carl Jones, Mark outlined the dark times of his recovery but said he wouldn’t change anything.

“My life now is better than it would have been if it hadn’t happened,” he said. “It’s forced me to be the best person and man I can be. You don’t have to be the fittest, strongest or smartest, you just have to be resilient and keep going.”

Dawn Humphries, head of the personal injury team at Lanyon Bowdler, said the Innovation After Injury conference was an inspiring event.

“This is the third event of its type we have held at Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury, following the hugely successful Thriving After Brain Injury conference in March 2024  and Surviving Brain Injury - the Journey in 2016,” she said.

“We were delighted to welcome a fantastic range of speakers who shared fascinating and inspiring stories about battling back from life-changing injuries.

“We also had specialists sharing their knowledge on subjects such as how nutrition and sleeping well can aid recovery, along with discussions about new technology in rehabilitation, and innovations in medication.”

Pictured: Carl Jones and Mark Ormrod MBE