Former fighter pilot left paralysed due to take part in Great Manchester run

An ex-RAF pilot paralysed from the neck down following a freak swimming accident in Mexico will compete in his tenth 10k run. Jerry Ward survived 33 combat missions in the Gulf War, flew a Lancaster bomber for the Battle of Britain Memorial flight and had a successful career as a commercial pilot. But his flying career was cruelly cut short in 2007 when he broke his neck in a freak accident in Cancun when a wave knocked him off his feet. However, since the accident he has defied medics who said he would be on a ventilator for the rest of his life.